Bryce Andrew Mitchell (born October 4, 1994) is an American professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

. He currently competes in the

Featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

(UFC). Mitchell appeared in the reality television series '' The Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated''.

Background

Mitchell was born in

Texarkana, Arkansas Texarkana is a city in the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Miller County, on the southwest border of the state. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 29,387. It is the twin city of Texarkana, Texas, located just acros ...

, and raised in

Cabot, Arkansas Cabot is the largest city in Lonoke County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 23,776, and in 2019 the population was an estimated 26,352, ranking it as the state's 19th largest city, behind Jackso ...

, where he attended

Cabot High School Cabot High School (CHS) is a public high school located in Cabot, Arkansas. The school serves students in grades ten through twelve and is administered by Cabot Public Schools, which serves the city and most of northern Lonoke County. The dis ...

. He played multiple sports, including

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

for the

varsity team A varsity team is the highest-level team in a sport or activity representing an educational institution. Varsity teams train to compete against each other during an athletic season or in periodic matches against rival institutions. At high schools ...

and

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

, in which he placed second at the 7A

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

championships as a junior and fourth at the 6A

championships as a

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

. After high school, Mitchell moved to

Searcy, Arkansas Searcy ( ) is the largest city in and the county seat of White County, Arkansas, United States. According to 2019 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 23,767. It is the principal city of the Searcy, AR Micropolitan Statisti ...

, to attend

Harding University Harding University is a Private university, private Christian university with its main campus in Searcy, Arkansas, United States. Established in 1924, the institution offers Undergraduate education, undergraduate, Postgraduate education, gradu ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

After racking up an undefeated professional MMA record of 9–0, Mitchell was chosen to compete in '' The Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated'' Featherweight tournament. He defeated Jay Cucciniello in the quarterfinals but ended up losing to the eventual season winner Brad Katona in the semi-finals. Despite the loss, Mitchell was signed to the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Mitchell faced Tyler Diamond on July 6, 2018, at The Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated. He won the fight by majority decision. Mitchell faced Bobby Moffett on March 23, 2019, at UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Pettis. He won the fight by unanimous decision. This fight earned the ''Fight of the Night'' award. Mitchell faced Matt Sayles on December 7, 2019, at UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik. He won the fight by submission from a twister in the first round; this was only the second twister submission victory in UFC history. This win earned him the ''Performance of the Night'' award and it was named the 2019 ''Submission of the Year'' by sites like

Sherdog Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It also has many forums and discussion pages on the many topics of MMA like records, promotions, etc. The site is a member of the CraveOnline network and provides MM ...

, MMAJunkie and

MMA Fighting ''MMA Fighting'' is a news website that covers the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). Founded in 2001, the site is notable for its breaking news coverage, podcast series, and ''The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani''. Overview ''MMAFighting.com'' ...

. Subsequently, Mitchell signed a new, four-fight contract with the UFC. Mitchell was scheduled to face Charles Rosa on May 2, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Weidman. However, on April 9,

Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who is the CEO and president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at . Out ...

, the president of UFC announced that this event was postponed and the bout took place on May 9, 2020, at

UFC 249 ''UFC 249: Ferguson vs. Gaethje'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 9, 2020 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It was originally planned to ...

. After nearly submitting Rosa on numerous occasions, Mitchell won the fight via unanimous decision with the three scorecards listing 30–25, 30–25, and 30–24 scores. Mitchell faced Andre Fili on October 31, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Hall vs. Silva. This bout marked the first time a fighter has worn custom trunks since the Reebok deal with the promotion, as Mitchell used

camo CAMO, short for ''Club Aquatique de Montreal'' (), is a swim club based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada's Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard. CAMO operates in three areas: swimming, diving, and water polo however, CAMO has had the greatest success in ...

shorts during the contest. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Mitchell faced Edson Barboza on March 5, 2022, at UFC 272. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Mitchell was scheduled to face Movsar Evloev as a main event on November 5, 2022, at UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs. Lemos. However, Evloev withdrew in mid October due to injury and the bout was scrapped. Mitchell faced Ilia Topuria on December 10, 2022, at UFC 282. He lost the fight via submission in round two. Mitchell was scheduled to face Jonathan Pearce on May 6, 2023, at UFC 288. However, Pearce was forced to withdraw from the event due to injury, and was replaced by Movsar Evloev. In turn, Mitchell withdrew due to recurring back injury and was replaced by Diego Lopes. Mitchell faced Dan Ige on September 23, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 228. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Mitchell faced

Josh Emmett Joshua James Emmett (born March 4, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2011, Emmett has also competed for K ...

, replacing injured Giga Chikadze, on December 16, 2023, at UFC 296. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round. Mitchell faced Kron Gracie on December 7, 2024, at

UFC 310 ''UFC 310: Pantoja vs. Asakura'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 7, 2024, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Valley, United States. Backgroun ...

. He won the fight by knockout via ground elbows in the third round, leading to his first knockout victory in MMA. Mitchell faced Jean Silva on April 12, 2025 at UFC 314. He lost the fight via a ninja choke submission in the second round. Mitchell will compete in a bantamweight bout against

Said Nurmagomedov Said Makhachevich Nurmagomedov (; born April 5, 1992) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2009, he formerly competed ...

on July 26, 2025 at UFC on ABC 9.

Grappling career

Mitchell was scheduled to face Ilay Barzilay at Pit Submission Series 12 on February 28, 2025. However, he withdrew from the match on a few days’ notice when he was offered an MMA fight against Jean Silva.

Personal life

Mitchell has a degree in economics from

. Outside of his mixed martial arts career, he is a cattle farmer. In 2021, Mitchell released a seven-track

country rap Country rap (also called country hip-hop, country hick-hop, and sometimes hick-hop) is a fusion genre of popular music, mixing country music with hip-hop–style singing or rapping. History Prototypes Early influences on the emergence of count ...

mixtape titled "Pasture Fire".

Controversies

Conspiracy theories

Mitchell is a

conspiracy theorist A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy (generally by powerful sinister groups, often political in motivation), when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * ...

, voicing his belief that

SARS-CoV-2 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the respiratory illness responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus previously had the Novel coronavirus, provisional nam ...

was created in a lab by the U.S. government and deliberately released, and that the U.S. government stages mass shootings to advance a gun confiscation agenda. He has also criticized the

Federal Reserve The Federal Reserve System (often shortened to the Federal Reserve, or simply the Fed) is the central banking system of the United States. It was created on December 23, 1913, with the enactment of the Federal Reserve Act, after a series of ...

as a "corrupt institution" that is manipulating the value of the U.S. dollar. He is also a

flat Earth Flat Earth is an archaic and scientifically disproven conception of the Figure of the Earth, Earth's shape as a Plane (geometry), plane or Disk (mathematics), disk. Many ancient cultures, notably in the cosmology in the ancient Near East, anci ...

er and believes that gravity is a hoax. In 2024, he indicated that he would homeschool his son because he did not want him to be a

Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

, to worship

Satan Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or ' ...

, or to be

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

. In July 2024, Mitchell called

Elon Musk Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a businessman. He is known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X (formerly Twitter), and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has been considered the wealthiest person in th ...

false prophet In religion, a false prophet or pseudoprophet is a person who falsely claims the gift of prophecy or divine inspiration, or to speak for God, or who makes such claims for evil ends. Often, someone who is considered a "true prophet" by some peop ...

and potential

antichrist In Christian eschatology, Antichrist (or in broader eschatology, Anti-Messiah) refers to a kind of entity prophesied by the Bible to oppose Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ and falsely substitute themselves as a savior in Christ's place before ...

, and his company Tesla a "scam."

Hitler and Holocaust denial

In January 2025, he made several controversial statements, including praise for

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

, denial of the Holocaust, and anti-LGBTQ remarks. He stated, "I honestly think that Hitler was a good guy based upon my own research, not my public education indoctrination" and further claimed, "When you realize there's no possible way they could've burned and cremated six million bodies, you're gonna realize the Holocaust ain't real." Additionally, Mitchell suggested that "greedy Jews" were "destroying his country and turning them all into gays" and referenced early gender-affirming surgeries in Germany as evidence of societal decline. Despite widespread condemnation—including from UFC president

—White stated that Mitchell would not face disciplinary action from the UFC, citing

free speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recognise ...

protections.

Championships and accomplishments

** Performance of the Night (One time) ** Fight of the Night (One time) **UFC Honors Awards *** 2019: Fan's Choice Submission of the Year Winner & President's Choice Performance of the Year Nominee **UFC.com Awards ***2019: Submission of the Year *''CagesidePress.com'' **2019 Submission of the Year *''CombatPress.com'' **2019 Submission of the Year *'' MMAJunkie.com'' **2019 December Submission of the Month **2019 Submission of the Year *''

'' **2019 Submission of the Year *'' Sherdog.com'' **2019 Submission of the Year

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 17–3 , Jean Silva , Submission (ninja choke) , UFC 314 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:52 ,

Miami, Florida Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–2 , Kron Gracie , KO (slam and elbows) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:39 ,

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–2 ,

, KO (punch) , UFC 296 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:57 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–1 , Dan Ige , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Fiziev vs. Gamrot , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–1 , Ilia Topuria , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , UFC 282 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:10 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–0 , Edson Barboza , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 272 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–0 , Andre Fili , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Hall vs. Silva , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–0 , Charles Rosa , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–0 , Matt Sayles , Submission (twister) , UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:20 ,

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–0 , Bobby Moffett , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Pettis , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 , Tyler Diamond , Decision (majority) , The Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated Finale , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Jose Mariscal , Decision (unanimous) , V3 Fights: Willis vs. Norwood , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

, United States , , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Isaac Ware , Submission (rear-naked choke) , V3 Fights: Mitchell vs. Ware , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:30 ,

, United States , , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Brandon Phillips , Submission (triangle choke) , WSOF 33 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:14 ,

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

, United States , , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Bobby Taylor , Submission (triangle choke) , V3 Fights: Sanders vs. Anders , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:10 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Jorge Medina , Submission (rear-naked choke) , WSOF 27 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:02 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Chris Culley , Submission (armbar) , V3 Fights: Hall vs. Shelton , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:39 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Tony Williams , Submission (rear-naked choke) , V3 Fights: Davis vs. Hall , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:31 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Jesse Sanderson , Submission (rear-naked choke) , RFA vs. Legacy FC 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:09 ,

Robinsonville, Mississippi Tunica Resorts,Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

, United States ,

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, Loss , align=center, 1–1 , Brad Katona , Submission (rear-naked choke) , rowspan=2, The Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated , (airdate) , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:17 , rowspan=2,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Jay Cucciniello , Decision (unanimous) , (airdate) , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Bryce 1994 births Living people People from Sherwood, Arkansas Sportspeople from Pulaski County, Arkansas American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from Arkansas Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Harding University alumni American Christians COVID-19 conspiracy theorists American conspiracy theorists Flat Earth proponents 21st-century American sportsmen American Holocaust deniers