UFC star Bryce Mitchell has said that he can relate to Ilia Topuria in the wake of the latter’s first loss in the promotion.
For the longest time, Ilia Topuria was considered to be one of the scariest mixed martial artists in the world. While that may still be the case for many, the fact that he was beaten and battered by veteran Justin Gaethje has certainly taken some shine off of him. Now, it’s all about seeing whether or not he can rebuild and come back stronger.
That’s a feeling that Bryce Mitchell is very familiar with. A few years back, Bryce was the one who lost his unbeaten record at the hands of Ilia Topuria himself. Mitchell has had a few setbacks of his own since then but since switching divisions, it definitely feels like he is starting to put the right pieces together as he pursues a world championship of his own.
In a recent podcast appearance, Mitchell had the following to say about Ilia Topuria’s loss and where he goes from here.
Bryce Mitchell discusses Ilia Topuria
“I’m relating it to Ilia – that was me when I fought Ilia,” Mitchell said on Tim Welch’s podcast. “I had too much pride to back out of the fight, to say, ‘Hey, I’m sick. I shouldn’t be in here.’ I was undefeated at that point, and so it was that pride thinking, ‘Nah, this dude ain’t going to beat me. I’m fine.’
“Second round, I knew I was toast. In the first round, I felt all right. But by the end of the first round, beginning of the second round, I knew I was toast, and that’s when my pride made me fall. His pride made him fall when he thinks Justin Gaethje can’t hurt him.”
“I think he would do better at 145, to be honest,” Mitchell said of Topuria. “But I think he could easily stay at 155. You see he damn near beat Gaethje, and Gaethje’s the best out there. I really think spiritually is what’s going to determine whether he’s going to come back or not. He’s got all the tangibles and he’s got the mentality. He’s not a quitter.”
Quotes via MMA Junkie
The big goal for fans all around the world is to see Ilia get back in there and compete sooner rather than later – but if he does, there are certainly adjustments that need to be made if he’s serious about becoming a world champion again.
