Bryce Mitchell on quitting MMA: 'Thug Nasty' explains why he considered retirement after UFC 282
Bryce Mitchell recently cleared the air around his retirement from the sport after his post-fight comments about the same had many speculating about his future. Mitchell had a raw and emotional moment after his loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 282, during which he was recorded on video contemplating retirement.
Watch the video below:
Bryce Mitchell’s immediate thoughts after his loss was retirement.
https://t.co/qa2a1ni8fG
In a recent interview with Brett Okamoto on ESPN MMA, 'Thug Nasty' was asked about his comments regarding retirement after his loss and what he was going through at the time. Mitchell replied:
"I could not even stand up on my own, so I was not saying the most intelligent stuff... When you're in that state, you gotta realize, you're not completely normal, thinking rationally... I was really mad, I was being hard on myself... If that's the best I could do, I swear on my life...I would retire. Cause' that sh*t was terrible."
Watch the full interview below:
Bryce Mitchell's last fight against Topuria was in a featherweight matchup at UFC 282. 'El Matador' largely dominated the fight and ultimately submitted 'Thug Nasty' via a second-round arm-triangle choke. The No.11-ranked featherweight was previously undefeated in his MMA career.
However, the Arkansas native doesn't seem to have lost any stock as a fighter and his eccentric personality certainly helps his popularity. Bryce Mitchell gained peculiar notoriety after he called out Joe Rogan for making fun of 'flat-earthers' on his podcast.
Bryce Mitchell talks about not pulling out of his bout at UFC 282 despite suffering from the flu
Bryce Mitchell recently claimed that he was suffering from the flu and wasn't at his best against Ilia Topuria at UFC 282, and the exciting featherweight prospect has now opened up on why he didn't pull out of the fight.
'El Matador' dominantly defeated Mitchell on December 10 and proved why he is considered one of the most feared fighters in the division. The Spanish-Georgian secured a second-round submission win against 'Thug Nasty.'
In the same interview with Brett Okamoto, Bryce Mitchell opened up about why he took the fight against Topuria, despite knowing he wouldn't be able to perform at his best due to illness. Citing financial struggles as one of the main reasons, he stated:
"We had been looking for months... It's like, I've f***ing been trying for months... A month later, though, [The UFC said], 'Hey, Mitchell. If you wanna fight Topuria, you have to next month'... So I said fu** it, let's go in December... If I don't fight now, I'm living off of a couple of thousand bucks until February."
Watch the clip below:
Why didn’t Bryce Mitchell (@ThugnastyMMA) pull out of his fight against Topuria when he got sick? This is why. And he’s not complaining. This is the game. But it’s important to know what goes into these hard choices fighters face. https://t.co/ouKUFh1yau
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