UFC featherweight contender Bryce Mitchell has spoken out for the first time since his UFC 282 loss to Ilia Topuria.
Mitchell lost to Topuria via a second-round submission to kick off the UFC 282 main card. It was the first loss of his career after 15 consecutive wins with World Series of Fighting, V3 Fights, and the UFC.
Mitchell had a hard time dealing with Topuria’s pace and pressure and wasn’t able to work in his elite wrestling. Topuria, mostly known for his striking, choked out Mitchell just under two minutes into Round 2.
It was a shocking loss for Mitchell after a long wait for his first fight since March. But Mitchell was battling more than Topuria in the Octagon on Saturday night.
Bryce Mitchell Wishes He Would’ve Pulled Out After Flu Diagnosis
In a recent Instagram post, Mitchell explained the ailments he entered the Octagon with at UFC 282.
“I just wanted to let y’all know that I’m feeling just fine, I’m home. I just wanted to thank you all for your love and support. And I definitely want to let you know that wasn’t me out there. I had the flu the week before, and I thought I’d just tough it out and I didn’t feel good at all in there,” Mitchell revealed. “That wasn’t myself and I trained a lot harder and could’ve performed a lot better, but I went in there, stuff hurtin’ and not up to 100%…I wish I wouldn’t even took the fight.
“I didn’t know it would mess me up that bad, I thought I’d be able to hang in there for all three rounds because that’s what I trained for. I trained for my cardio to be there the whole time and it wasn’t even there one bit of the time. I’ll come back stronger. I just hate going out on that one like that, but I will be better. I’ll be alright. Thank y’all.”
Mitchell earned wins over Edson Barboza, Charles Rosa, and Andre Fili entering UFC 282 against Topuria. He earned a shot in the UFC following a successful run on The Ultimate Fighter 27.
After Mitchell fully recovers from his illness, he’ll look to pick himself up and get back in the win column next year.
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