Tag: Bryce Mitchell

UFC featherweight contender Bryce Mitchell has revealed how he attempts to get the better of other individuals during interactions and altercations.

Mitchell is certainly an interesting character. While the likes of Colby Covington and Sean Strickland have become known for making headlines with their controversial statements, it was “Thug Nasty” who stole the limelight with his recent remarks on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani.

Among other things, Mitchell claimed the 2020 Presidential Election was rigged, said the 2017 Las Vegas shooting was an inside job, accused the government of attempting control through inflation, and suggested health care is not a “right.”

Given the controversial nature of the opinions he gave, it was unsurprising to see a portion of the MMA fanbase speak out against the rising featherweight. However, Mitchell won’t be concerned about any altercations or challenges, because he believes he has the perfect way to emerge victorious in every exchange: act stupid.

During an interview with UFC play-by-play commentator Brendan Fitzgerald, which took place a few weeks prior to his appearance on The MMA Hour, Mitchell discussed the perception that people have towards the intelligence of “Thug Nasty” and his fellow Arkansas natives.

“People look at that stat (Arkansas poverty) and look at that stuff, and they think because of the poverty they’re gonna be stupid,” said Mitchell. “Now, I would have to beg to differ. Because of the poverty, you’re gonna be really smart. You’re gonna learn to be efficient. I tell you what, you can look at it as an advantage… People look at a statistic about where I’m from and will naturally assume, ‘Oh, poverty—they’re stupid.’ That’s a great advantage for you.”

Harnessing that advantage, Mitchell believes the best tactic is to play along with what he perceives to be a misconception. Revealing his “secrets,” the #11-ranked UFC 145lber claimed the best way to handle altercations is to out-stupid the other side, rather than out-smart them.

“I’m giving away all my secrets, brother. Let me tell you this. Real easy trick for you, and I’ll just let you know this and you can use this anytime, and I guarantee you it’ll work. If you’re in any type of negotiation or something, some type of altercation, act stupid,” suggested Mitchell. “Don’t be the guy that acts smart; be the guy that acts stupid, like you kinda don’t know what’s going on and you’re kinda just—act slow, act stupid, even talk slow.

“You wanna see, ‘How does this guy treat a dumb man?’ A dude who he can completely take advantage of. You wanna see if they completely take advantage. You wanna see how this person really is,” continued Mitchell. “So don’t try to out-smart somebody, out-stupid them… If you’re gonna out-stupid somebody in a conversation, which I’ve done, you take them in circles and boy you keep that conversation so damn stupid they don’t even know what’s going on.”

Mitchell Targets Rise Up FW Ladder At UFC 272

While his beliefs and recent comments have no doubt divided opinion, Mitchell has certainly drawn more attention to himself ahead of his return to action.

Having not entered the cage since a 2020 decision win against Andre Fili, Mitchell will hope to pick up where he left off when he shares the cage with top-10 featherweight Edson Barboza. The pair are set to collide on the main card of this weekend’s UFC 272 pay-per-view.

While the Brazilian will be looking to rebound from his loss to Giga Chiakdze last year and prove he still has what it takes to compete towards the top of the ladder, Mitchell will hope to add an established name to his record and move closer towards title contention.

What do you make of Bryce Mitchell’s “act stupid” advice?

Fans tuning in to Monday’s installment of The MMA Hour were in for a surprise—and so was the host himself when Bryce Mitchell went rogue during his scheduled appearance.

A week from Saturday, Bryce Mitchell will go one on one with top-10 featherweight Edson Barboza. Barboza is a tough task for any competitor, and he also happens to be one of the more established names in the UFC, with over a decade of promotional fights under his belt.

Considering this is being viewed as the most high-profile bout of Mitchell’s MMA career, Ariel Helwani joined the list of MMA journalists who are interested in knowing about Mitchell’s thoughts and preparations leading up to such a big fight.

However, during Mitchell’s appearance on The MMA Hour, there was no talk about the significance of the fight, what he expects from his opponent, or how well his training camp went. In fact, there was literally no talk about fighting whatsoever.

Instead, Mitchell stated that he wanted to use the MMA Hour platform to help shine a light on injustices happening on land both foreign and domestic as it pertains to civil liberties, such as the right to own assault weapons like semi-automatic rifles and the right to refuse COVID-19 vaccinations.

On the domestic front, Mitchell maintained that there is a reason why his home state of Arkansas has not enacted any vaccination mandates at the government level because they wouldn’t be able to enforce it anyway. That’s because, according to “Thug Nasty,” he and his local community are prepared to fight to the death to prevent such violations of their personal freedoms.

“Before the Holocaust in 1938, Hitler banned Jews in Germany from having guns. There’s a reason he did that. He wanted to disarm the population before he rounded them up and killed them,” Mitchell said. “So when I talk about why these guns are important, you’ve got to know why we’ve got these guns. Of course, it’s to hunt. Of course, it’s to protect ourselves from people that break into our homes. But the reason that they’re really here is to protect ourselves from our own government. It’s to overthrow a tyrannical government.

“And these guns on either side of me, that’s the reason that in Arkansas, they don’t have forced vaccines. They don’t have forced mandates. You can’t force ’em. They don’t have the power. If you go up and down my street, every single one of me and my neighbors is armed to the teeth, brother. I mean, I could sit here and—you’ve got the Underwoods, you’ve got the Mitchells, you’ve got the Palmers, you’ve got the Wests, the Browns, the Smiths, the Jameses, the Harrises, we’re armed to the teeth, brother. And we will not let this government inject what they say is medicine into our body without our consent.”

During the segment, Mitchell went on to explicitly state that he would be willing to die in such a standoff with the government if it meant defending the freedoms of himself and his fellow man.

This is just a small snapshot of what Mitchell had to say in this unconventional segment. He and Helwani were involved in a civil debate at times, with the segment being more of a conversation as opposed to an interview. Here were some of the other talking points from Mitchell during his brow-raising MMA Hour appearance:

• 2017 Las Vegas shooting was an inside job. The government staged that shooting to try to justify banning guns. The same applies to most (if not all, he did not specify) mass shootings.
• 2020 Presidential Election was rigged
• Inflation is a form of control by the government
• Ivermectin works much better against COVID than vaccines, but the vaccines make more money, which is why they are being pushed by the government
• No such thing as a “gun problem” but just “mental health problems” that lead to shootings
• Health care is not a right because you don’t have a right to someone else’s service

MMA Fighting usually publishes each interview separately on its YouTube channel, but in this case, they have opted not to post Bryce Mitchell’s controversial segment. Thus, if you want to hear Mitchell’s words straight from the source, you can go to approximately 1:43:00 of the video below, which also contains a disclaimer from MMA Fighting in the timestamp attached to the segment.

What are your thoughts on Bryce Mitchell’s comments?

UFC featherweight Bryce Mitchell has detailed facing a “drugged out” amateur fighter during his first experience inside an MMA gym at the age of 16.

Mitchell is as tough as they come. From backyard boxing matches to professional fights, “Thug Nasty” has seen and faced it all on his journey to the Octagon. That journey has allowed him to enter the group of ranked contenders at 145 pounds.

After going 9-0 on the regional scene, the Arkansas native had his chance to join the big leagues on The Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated in 2018. Despite falling short in the semifinals, Mitchell had the opportunity to make a splash on MMA’s biggest stage at the finale event, where he defeated Tyler Diamond.

Since his debut, the 27-year-old has grown from strength to strength. In four wins, he’s defeated established names like Charles Rosa and Andre Fili and recorded only the second twister submission in UFC history.

Like most in the volatile sport of MMA, the road towards the top wasn’t easy. In Mitchell’s case, it involved getting his first taste of a gym by sparring with some drug-using amateur fighters.

During a recent interview with UFC play-by-play commentator Brendan Fitzgerald, “Thug Nasty” looked back on his early days in the sport and his earliest day in an MMA facility. It’s safe to say he and his friend received a shock to the system when they were welcomed to the gym by a “drugged out” fighter.

“I quit basketball, wrestled, and then went to train in MMA. I went to this MMA gym. First, when I went in, the dude was a little bit drugged out,” said Mitchell. “And you know, he wasn’t like, crazy on it, but one of the dudes at the gym was a little bit on some shit. I tell you what, some of that shit that you can get like that, you don’t get tired, you know what I’m saying? This dude was whipping my ass when I was 16.

“Me and my buddy Tyler went into this gym, where these guys, I mean, these are rough guys man. They’re on some heavy drug usage, okay, amateur fighters, pretty high ranked. Me and my buddy walked in this gym, my buddy gets kicked in the fucking head,” Mitchell added. “Tyler’s a tough dude, Tyler kicked my ass one time in training. He got kicked in the head and then I was up to spar that guy next, that kicked Tyler in the head; dropped him. And I was like, ‘Oh shit…’ I’m going up against this guy, and I didn’t know he was drugged out, but this motherfucker was all ripped up, muscles and shit, and he doesn’t get tired. He didn’t drop me, but he got me pretty good. I’m, telling ya, it was rough.”

It’s certainly no mystery where Mitchell got his toughness from, and he’ll certainly need to have that on full display when he returns to action next month.

Mitchell Will Return To Action At UFC 272

Mitchell hasn’t entered the Octagon since his October 2020 victory over Fili. After well over a year on the sidelines, “Thug Nasty” will be looking to extend his unbeaten professional record in 2022 and climb closer towards the top of the featherweight ladder, starting with a victory over UFC veteran Edson Barboza.

The #11-ranked Mitchell will face the Brazilian legend at UFC 272 on March 5. While he’s impressed on his way to the top 15, a win over Barboza would certainly be the biggest of Mitchell’s career to date and would firmly establish him as a top contender in a stacked 145-pound weight class.

Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC 272, Bryce Mitchell or Edson Barboza?

UFC featherweight Bryce Mitchell is finding out the hard way that there will always be music critics, even if they’re in your own family.

Mitchell, an undefeated prospect who has emerged as a UFC fan favorite, recently put out his first rap mixtape Pasture Fire on social media. Fans gave “Thug Nasty” mostly rave reviews for his first musical endeavor.

But not everyone is a fan of Mitchell’s music, including his own mother. During a recent interview with MMA journalist Helen Yee, Mitchell revealed an awkward moment he had when his mom commented on his rap mixtape.

“I was playing my music in the car and rolled up to my mom’s house. Was going to say hi, eat and everything. I pulled up and I didn’t know she was out in the yard,” Mitchell said. “She hates rap music. I had my mixtape playing, practicing the words. My song’s playing as I park, and she yells ‘Turn that nasty s**t off, I don’t like all that rap stuff!’ I just couldn’t help but laugh because she was talking about my music.

“I turned the music right off, I know better than to tell my mom. I just laughed it off. She don’t like it, but that’s alright. It’s not for everyone.”

Mitchell is set to return to the Octagon at UFC 272 against Edson Barboza. He has been sidelined since late 2020 due to a variety of circumstances, including injury issues.

Mitchell has called for fights against any willing challenger, including grappling specialist Ryan Hall. He’ll get the opportunity to move up in the featherweight division against a tough out in Barboza.

Meanwhile, Mitchell isn’t just focused on his MMA ambitions. He wants to prove that his recent musical journey isn’t just an antic and that he’s here to stay on the mic.

Do you like Bryce Mitchell’s rap music?