After Ilia Topuria’s exit from 145 lbs, there’s a new terrifying force in the featherweight division. His name is Jean Silva. The Brazilian powerhouse has been a wrecking ball in the division, first earning a UFC contract through Dana White’s Contender Series, then scoring four back-to-back knockout finishes since his promotional debut. Fighting out of The Fighting Nerds camp, ‘Lord’ noted his fourth knockout win at UFC Fight Night 252 over Melsik Baghdasaryan—an absolutely terrifying knockout that crumpled his opponent. After the win, he issued the following callout, Bryce Mitchell. Dana put me in front of him, and I’ll do the job.”
Mitchell, wasting no time, took to X, to respond with the following, “There’s only one LORD. And it ain’t you, fool. You need a country a** whoopin’. It will humble you just right.” Not one to back down, Silva clapped back, with the following, “Ok, ok, but I’m gonna beat you until you see the Earth is round.” Fans are obviously excited about this matchup. Furthermore, a win over Bryce Mitchell would be a huge leap for Silva, possibly catapulting him into the upper ranks of the featherweight division.
Even the UFC CEO Dana White took notice, admitting during the post-fight press conference that there’s growing buzz within the fight community about making this matchup happen. And true to form, the 55-year-old set up the clash for April 12. The revelation made by the UFC head honcho was shared by MMA Pros Pick on their Instagram page. According to the post, it seems both fighters willingly wanted to fight each other.
During the video, White made it clear that it was Mitchell who made immediate contact once he was called out by Silva. He said, “Silva, who fought last weekend, and had an unbelievable performance in Seattle. Immediately calls out Bryce Mitchell. Bryce Mitchell immediately texts Hunter Campbell and says I want the fight. So we made it. April 12th in Miami, Silva vs Mitchell. I didn’t want anybody to think we are putting a hit out on Bryce Mitchell. Bryce Mitchell literally texted immediately after he said, said he wants the fight. So we are doing it in Miami.”
“Ask and you shall receive, I guess.”, said the UFC head honcho laughing, before continuing, “That’s a fun one. I didn’t want anyone to think, we’re putting a hit out on Bryce Mitchell. Bryce Mitchell literally texted immediately after he said it. He wants to fight. So we’re doing it in Miami.” Of course, Dana White’s “putting a hit out” comments allude to Bryce Mitchell’s comments about a certain notorious figure from WWII, who was responsible for the deaths of millions in the Jewish community.
Following Mitchell’s infamous “Hitler was a good dude” comments, Dana White had to immediately give out a statement at a Power Slap press conference, where he berated ‘Thug Nasty’, calling him “dumb.” Furthermore, the UFC head honcho didn’t penalize Mitchell with the pretext of protecting Mitchell’s right to free speech. Instead, he hoped that Mitchell would learn his lesson in the Octagon. And, now with the matchup with Silva, that just might happen. Remember the Josh Emmett KO loss? As for ‘Thug Nasty’? Well, it looks like he knew he was in for a fight with Silva, the minute they went back and forth. So he’s prepping for it.
Bryce Mitchell forgoes grappling tournament match for his upcoming fight
Mitchell was initially scheduled to face rising Israeli prospect Ilay Barzilay in a grappling contest at Karate Combat’s Pit Submission Series on February 28. However, he has since pulled out, citing the need to stay prepared for an upcoming fight. It seems he is all set to focus on his upcoming clash against the Brazilian fighter.
He recently took to his Instagram account to update fans, and it seems he already knew this fight was going to happen. The 30-year-old during the video said, “I’m done messing around with any grappling matches for a while. I have to fight when I have the chance. And things just for stirred up in my division this week, so I need to be on standby.”
‘Thug Nasty’ further added that his focus is to stay fresh for the clash and not get injured during his preparation. Mitchell further added, “I won’t make the mistake of taking a grappling match, then canceling for a fight again. Sorry about it, for everyone who had their hopes up. Like I said, something better is coming. So it will all work out.”
The clash has already gained a lot of momentum with both fighters already having engaged in a social media brawl before the fight was even announced. Now it will be interesting to see who backs their talks with actions when these two collide on April 12. Silva has been on a roll in the division and has impressed everyone with his explosiveness inside the Octagon. This is going to be Bryce Mitchell’s biggest test yet.
Who do you think will win the fight between the two? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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