BREAKING: Bryce Mitchell UFC return date confirmed, opponent revealed
Bryce Mitchell will return to action at UFC 288 on May 6 after succumbing to a loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 282 last year.
Mitchell hinted at an early retirement after his flawless record was compromised at UFC 282. However, he has dispelled these claims by asserting that he was not thinking straight after the bout. These claims are now water under the bridge since Mitchell has confirmed that he is returning to action later this year.
The 28-year-old took to Twitter to announce that he will be fighting Jonathan Pearce on the UFC 288 pay-per-view event. Bryce Mitchell wrote:
"Back at it May 6."
He also confirmed that the bout agreement has been signed:
"Bout agreement signed!"
Check out the tweets below:
🏻Bout agreement signed! 👊🏻
Back at it May 6 👊🏻 https://t.co/KyFUo90FI5
Pearce got invited to Dana White's Contender Series on July 9, 2019. He fought Jacob Rosales and won by TKO in the third round, securing a coveted UFC contract. Pearce lost to UFC veteran Joe Lauzon in his debut fight under the UFC banner via TKO. Since then, he has been on an impressive five-fight win streak with three finishes.
Bryce Mitchell looks determined to come back to winning ways after suffering the first and only loss of his MMA career. His record currently stands at 15-1 with nine submission victories.
What did Bryce Mitchell say following his submission loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 282?
At UFC 282, Bryce Mitchell suffered a crushing second-round submission loss to Ilia Topuria. Mitchell hinted at an early retirement after Topuria marred his otherwise spotless record. However, he has dispelled these allegations by claiming he was not thinking straight following the fight.
Ilia Topuria (13-0) somete en el segundo asalto a Bryce Mitchell
@Topuriailia https://t.co/f2EDLqne0y
Mitchell stated in a recent interview with ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto that he accepted the fight with Ilia Topuria despite having the flu. He added that he was forced to accept the bout bearing in mind that he only "had a couple thousand bucks" in his bank account":
“I had a couple thousand bucks in my bank account, and [The UFC] told me that, ‘If you don’t take this fight, we’re not finding you one until February. They said they’re booked. So, it’s like you can live off a couple thousand bucks in your bank, or you can f*cking fight December 10th. And if not, f*ck off until February."
Speaking about what he would have done differently in the fight against Topuria, he added:
“I probably wouldn’t even have shot a takedown, but in the moment, I was not accepting what I was capable of. … If I would have readjusted my strategy, I know I could have done better. I could have probably went all three rounds. But I really gassed myself out shooting a lot of takedowns and stuff like that.”