Bryce Mitchell suffered one of the most brutal knockouts in promotional history against Josh Emmett at UFC 296 this weekend.
‘Thug Nasty’ stepped up to replace Emmett’s original opponent Giga Chikadze on two weeks’ notice after the Georgian suffered an injury.
Mitchell and Emmett opened up the pay-per-view main card in what was expected to be an exciting contest. The fight was fairly even for the opening minute and half before the No.6-ranked featherweight contender uncorked a trademark right hand that connected with Mitchell’s chin.
The punch knocked ‘Thug Nasty’ out cold, and he began having convulsions on the ground.
Mitchell has now taken to Instagram to share his first statement since the bout, assuring fans that he was doing alright. He wrote in his caption:
“Can’t thank y’all enough. Everyone who supports me is amazing. I still have my health!! So, I’m happy!!”
He also identified where his game plan was faulty during the video, saying:
“Really where I messed up was a poor strategy. My strategy was, stick to the jab, make my reads, move my feet. Kind of sit on the outside, but that put me to where I’m not putting that forward pressure that I really like to put. And it also made me look timid.”
Check out Bryce Mitchell’s statement below:
Josh Emmett opens up about brutal KO win over Bryce Mitchell
After suffering consecutive defeats to Yair Rodriguez and Ilia Topuria, Josh Emmett bounced back emphatically with a stunning one-punch knockout win over Bryce Mitchell at UFC 296 on Saturday.
Emmett’s recent victory was almost a carbon copy of his knockout of Michael Johnson at UFC on ESPN 2. However, Mitchell’s recovery after being KO’d was far more disturbing to watch.
The 38-year-old opened up about his win during his post-fight media appearance, saying:
“I respect Bryce so much, this is the first time I ever met him. He’s a great guy, his coaches are super nice. I hit him and then I got all excited, and then I looked over and he was still down, it’s hard to celebrate. I wish him nothing but the best.”
Watch the video below from 0:45: