Bryce Mitchell Captures Unpredictability of MMA on Saturday Night

Before and after his fight on Saturday, Bryce Mitchell added a personal touch that is only found in MMA

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Who could have predicted that Michael Bisping would have the most memorable showing of the weekend?

Bisping did not win a $50,000 bonus for a Performance of the Night, but the former UFC middleweight champion did perfectly capture a unique moment in the Octagon on Saturday night.

To set the stage: Saturday was an action-packed day for the sport. There were highs, punctuated by Aaron Pico making quick work of Pedro Carvalho at Bellator 299 (and how about Tim Means snapping his three-fight losing streak?), and lows, which occurred when Rafael Fiziev suffered a gruesome knee injury that cost him his UFC Fight Night bout against Mateusz Gamrot–and will likely cost him a year rehabbing the injury. There was even a bit of controversy on display when UFC welterweight champ Leon Edwards exchanged words with reigning Bellator middleweight champ Johnny Eblen, which took place after Eblen knocked out Edwards’ younger brother, Fabian, in the Bellator main event.

Yet there was simply no other moment like the one that took place Saturday night during UFC Fight Night. It happened in the co-main event, with starring roles played by Bisping and Bryce Mitchell, and the supporting actor role captured by Dan Ige.

Mitchell defeated Ige in a fantastic three-round bout. Ige absolutely laid into Mitchell with his vicious striking, and had the bout remained on the feet, it would have led to a massive victory for Ige–but that was not to be. Mitchell’s grappling proved too much, leading to a well-earned victory by unanimous decision. But for as compelling as it was, the fireworks took place before and after it.

When Mitchell was announced just before fight started, he held up a Bible in the middle of the Octagon in the same manner a WWE champion holds up a title belt before a match. That set the stage for his post-fight interview. As Mitchell stood in the Octagon with his arm around Ige, he passionately spoke about making a donation to those struggling due to the terrible fires in Hawaii–and doing all he can to fight off Satan.

Bryce before and after the fight

Dan Ige and Michael Bisping had no idea how to react pic.twitter.com/AheNGzqSu5

— The Octagon Obsessed (@octagonobsessed) September 24, 2023

Bisping, who conducted the post-fight interview, did his best to reroute the conversation back to the fight. That only lasted a moment (when Mitchell made an endearing comment about the brutal damage done to his right eye), before the interview officially went off the rails when Mitchell requested that Bisping let Ige pray.

It is hard to say how Daniel Cormier would have responded in this situation, but to Bisping’s credit, he kept his composure in an awkward situation. And you have to imagine that, as soon as Mitchell began sharing his belief that the fires in Hawaii were man-made, someone from the production truck screaming into Bisping’s earpiece and imploring him to wrap up the interview.

Can you envision this happening anywhere else but MMA?

In Mitchell’s defense, speaking in that moment is no easy task, especially after absorbing an incredible amount of damage. For better or worse, the post-fight interview is embedded into the fabric of MMA. It leads to unbelievable moments, which is what we witnessed on Saturday night.