Bryce Mitchell is putting his name forward as a backup for the upcoming UFC White House card just days after his dramatic win at UFC Vegas 118.
Mitchell submitted Santiago Luna in the closing seconds of their bantamweight bout and then said he’s willing to jump back in on short notice if either Sean O’Malley or Aiemann Zahabi cannot compete in Washington, D.C. “Hey, if somebody gets hurt and they need me, I’m going to put some Icy Hot on my back and I’ll fight,” Mitchell said, calling the chance “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Mitchell also made it clear where his rooting interest lies: “I’m going to pick the American,” he said. “I’m going to pick O’Malley, he’s American, and I love Tim Welch and I love O’Malley.”
The offer comes after Mitchell previously criticized the UFC’s collaboration with the current U.S. administration on the White House event. “Our government is to protect and serve the people, and really should be as minimal as possible. … When you’re doing all of this stuff, hosting sporting events, it’s really outside of what the goal of the government was intended to be, because our tax dollars and resources are funding this operation,” he said, adding, “the government is supposed to protect us, not entertain us.”
Mitchell, who was previously admonished by UFC CEO Dana White for offensive podcast comments, stressed he is not attacking the promotion. “It’s really nice to see people understand what I’m saying, that I’m not being malicious and that I am happy to be part of the UFC. I am grateful to be here, but I have a voice, too, and I can have my opinions while still respecting everybody.”
Physically, Mitchell isn’t making promises after the Luna fight. “I can’t guarantee anything because sometimes I can’t wake up and can’t walk tomorrow and then sometimes I wake up and be like, ‘Oh, I’ll do a backflip,’” he said. “There’s no way to know until really tomorrow and I’m going to go home and put some ice on my back.”
