Bryce Mitchell has drawn a direct line between his first career loss to Ilia Topuria and Topuria’s recent lightweight title defeat to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250.
Speaking on Tim Welch's podcast, Mitchell reflected on facing Topuria at UFC 282 while battling the flu, a fight he lost by second-round submission. "I'm relating it to Ilia – that was me when I fought Ilia," Mitchell said.
He explained that pride kept him from pulling out. "I had too much pride to back out of the fight, to say, 'Hey, I'm sick. I shouldn't be in here.' I was undefeated at that point, and so it was that pride thinking, 'Nah, this dude ain't going to beat me. I'm fine.'"
Mitchell recalled the turning point in that bout. "Second round, I knew I was toast. In the first round, I felt all right. But by the end of the first round, beginning of the second round, I knew I was toast, and that's when my pride made me fall. His pride made him fall when he thinksJustin Gaethjecan't hurt him."
Topuria entered UFC Freedom 250 as a massive favorite but lost his lightweight title to Gaethje by Round 4 doctor's stoppage TKO. According to the article, Topuria now holds a 17-1 MMA record and 9-1 UFC mark, while Gaethje sits at 28-5 in MMA and 11-5 in the UFC.
Looking ahead, Mitchell weighed in on Topuria’s future. "I think he would do better at 145, to be honest," he said, before adding, "But I think he could easily stay at 155... He's not a quitter."
