Bryce Mitchell said he was far from his best at UFC 282 and wishes he hadn’t gambled on fighting anyway.
In a video posted to Twitter after his UFC 282 loss, the first of his pro MMA career, in a bout against Ilia Topuria, Mitchell said a bout with the flu left him a shell of himself on fight night.
“I just wanted to let y’all know, I’m feeling just fine,” he said. “I’m home. I wanted to thank you all for the love and support, and I definitely got to let you know that that really wasn’t me out there. “I had the flu the week before, and you know, I thought I’d just tough it out. I didn’t feel good at all in there. That wasn’t myself. I trained a lot harder and could’ve performed a lot better, but, you know, I went in there with stuff hurting and not up to 100 percent. Like I said, I had the flu.
“I wish I wouldn’t even have took the fight, but I didn’t know it would mess me up that bad. So I thought I would be able to hang in there for all three rounds, because that’s what I trained for. I trained for my cardio to be there the whole time, and it wasn’t even there one bit of the time. So I’ll come back stronger. I just hate going out like that. But I will be better.”
Mitchell, a submission specialist known for finishing a rarely-seen Twister in the octagon, submitted to Topuria in the second round after taking several heavy punches. It was Topuria’s fifth straight win and extended his unbeaten streak to 13 pro fights.
Mitchell was No. 13 in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings with Topuria one behind at No. 14. Those positions are likely to switch in the next round.
In an interview Monday on The MMA Hour, Topuria said his performance proved he is a well-rounded threat that is ready to defeat any challenge thrown his way.