6 days ago
Bryce Mitchell: Ilia Topuria 'not unbeatable,' Makhachev and Tsarukyan will pose problems
ABU DHABI – Bryce Mitchell is adamant that UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria is not unstoppable.
Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) submitted Mitchell in their featherweight bout at UFC 282, but Mitchell (17-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) was able to take him down once and control him for a short while on the ground. Mitchell later revealed he entered the fight sick and wasn't able to perform to the best of his ability.
Topuria has continued to dominate after scoring three straight knockouts of Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and, most recently, Charles Oliveira to claim the vacant 155-pound belt at UFC 317. Mitchell sees the likes of Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan giving Topuria issues on the ground.
"If Islam gets on top of him, he's in trouble," Mitchell told MMA Junkie and other reporters during Wednesday's media day. "He (Topuria) hits harder and better, and is just more precise at punching than Makhachev. That's why he's got so many knockouts. You tell Arman I was as sick as a dog in that fight, and if it was a proper fight – I should have let the fans know I probably shouldn't have took the fight. Anyways, I won't fight sick again.
"That's the one fight that bothers me to this day. I can't believe I let my pride get the best of me, and I took that fight. But yeah, if Arman gets him down, he'll do great. What's great about Ilia is his shot selection, and he doesn't waste his energy. He's very, very good at conserving his energy, but he is not unbeatable, bro. I blacked his eye on a night when I didn't have no power in my arms. If I had gone in there healthy, he'd have two black eyes."
Mitchell won't get the opportunity to rematch Topuria anytime soon, as now two weight classes separate them. "Thug Nasty" will return to bantamweight for the first time in 10 years when he meets Said Nurmagomedov (18-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in Saturday's UFC on ESPN 9 featured prelim (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+) at Etihad Arena.
