Bryce Mitchell set to return to the octagon in September
Bryce Mitchell is set to return to the UFC octagon. The Arkansas native is reportedly booked to face Dan Ige in a featherweight matchup at a Fight Night event on September 23 in Las Vegas. Mitchell has been calling for this fight for a long time, and the promotion has finally granted him his wish.
‘Thug Nasty’ will be looking to redeem his first maiden loss against Ilia Topuria. The Georgian-Spanish fighter secured a second-round submission victory over Mitchell at UFC 282 last December. Prior to that loss, Bryce Mitchell was on an incredible 15-fight win streak. His record now stands at 15-1.
Bryce Mitchell was initially slated to fight Movsar Evloev in May but was forced to withdraw due to a back injury.
A lightweight barnburner between Rafael Fiziev and Mateusz Gamrot will headline the September Fight Night card. ‘Ataman’ will aim to rebound from a close decision loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 286. The defeat broke his six-fight winning streak and was his first UFC loss since his debut in April 2019. Meanwhile, Gamrot has won five out of his last six outings. He last beat Jalin Turner at UFC 285 via split decision.
When Bryce Mitchell claimed Conor McGregor would cheat to defeat Michael Chandler
UFC featherweight Bryce Mitchell is not a fan of Conor McGregor. ‘Thug Nasty’ once claimed that the Irishman would resort to cheating in order to defeat Michael Chandler after their The Ultimate Fighter (TUF 31) season concludes.
McGregor was roped in to reprise his role as a coach opposite Chandler in the ongoing season of TUF 31. The two explosive strikers have been placed in charge of two teams of bantamweight and lightweight fighters. While McGregor has a group of MMA prospects under his tutelage, Chandler is coaching a group of UFC veterans.
Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler are highly expected to face off in the octagon after the reality show ends. However, there is no official confirmation of that bout yet.
In a May edition of MMA Pros Pick, Bryce Mitchell claimed that he believes McGregor could use steroids to gain a competitive edge over Chandler. He said:
“I think McGregor is on steroids and I don’t think they are gonna test this properly. I think he’ll win on steroids. But if they test them, I think it’ll be a good fight. But if he’s on steroids… it’s still definitely, I’m going, I’m rooting for the American.”
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