The fight between Jean Silva and Bryce Mitchell was more like a battle of ideologies than just athletic prowess, and Silva silenced Mitchell at UFC 314 with a second-round ninja choke submission. The bout, held in Miami, was charged with hostility from the start. This fight is not an easy one to talk about. Why? Well, let’s start the story a little bit before the weighing-in ceremony, shall we?
At the pre-fight press conference, Silva mocked Mitchell’s controversial flat-earth beliefs by taunting him with a globe, leading to a “F*ck Bryce Mitchell” chant led by Silva himself. ‘Thug Nasty’, who had previously made headlines for defending Adolf Hitler during the ArkanSanity Podcast, claimed to be haunted by “legions of demons” as per his Instagram video, following the confrontation during the presser.
After the fight, UFC President Ari Emanuel complimented Silva on his victory, recognizing the intense buildup and the importance of the win in the featherweight division. Silva’s dominant performance not only gained him a spot in the top 10 but also showcased his capacity to rise above the drama and fuel it to deliver a masterclass performance.
The Brazilian was adamant about proving Mitchell’s beliefs wrong, and the only way to do that was to defeat him in their featherweight clash. Thankfully, he did because the reverse would have left a butter taste in the mouth for MMA fans and veterans. Chael Sonnen and Daniel Cormier spoke about the same in their Good Guy/Bad Guy podcast, and Sonnen could not believe his eyes when Endeavour CEO Ari Emanuel went up to congratulate Silva after the latter left Mitchell unconscious and won the fight via a second-round ninja choke submission.
As Sonnen said, “Everything the fighting nerds touch seems to turn into gold.” Silva beat Bryce at his own game, and Sonnen said, “The adjudication for words spoken by Bryce, the punishment was supposed to be Jean Silva. That fight was a 550 against Bryce. When it started, it went off as a 300. As that flight got closer, the audience me included realized he would wait a minute. Bryce isn’t an easy draw for anybody. If Bryce gets anybody to the ground, it’s problematic, and there was almost a social built-in vindication to what Bryce said if he was able to win like this when this match went down. It was a massive deal.”
DC could not control his laughter as Sonnen continued, “Ari Emmanuel left his seat and congratulated Silva, which I have never seen Ari do. I have never seen Ari do anything to make himself a part of the show. I am sharing it with you. That’s how important this is.”
February 22, 2025, Seattle, Wa, Seattle, Wa, United States: Jean Silva and Melsik Baghdasaryan meet in the octagon for a 3-round bout at the Climate Pledge Arena for UFC Fight Night – Cejudo vs Song on February 22, 2025 in Seattle, WA, United States. /PxImages Seattle, Wa United States – ZUMAp175 20250222_zsa_p175_405 Copyright: xLouisxGrassex
This showdown was one for the silver screen because not only did ‘Lord’ choke Mitchell unconscious, but he ended the chaos with his classic barking. Silva did not end the ordeal there either! He stretched his vendetta and sarcastically thanked Mitchell. “I have to thank Bryce Mitchell for all this fame that I have,” he said through a translator on Uncrowned’s The Ariel Helwani Show. “He was the one who kept saying my name in the media, and I’m just reaping the benefits of being spoken about all the time.”
Jean Silva and the rest of the Fighting Nerds team are known for their flashy striking skills, but one concern leading up to the fight was Mitchell’s superior advantage in grappling. Nonetheless, the Brazilian faced little to no resistance from his opponent, and stopped 13 of Mitchell’s 14 takedown shots until the fight ended with his ninja choke leaving Mitchell unconscious. However, despite Mitchell’s controversial persona, Dana White gave credit where it was due.
Dana White supported the controversial Bryce Mitchell
Dana White is not a fan of ‘Thug Nasty’ per se but the UFC head honcho still tried to be considerate of Mitchell’s loss at the post fight presser for UFC 314. From flat earth theory to complimenting Hitler, Mitchell has some radical beliefs that got him into hot waters with MMA fans and veterans. However White praised Mitchell for facing the challenges of the media and the fight “like a man”.
“I expected a lot from that fight. I’ll tell you what I’ll say about Bryce Mitchell… He’s a grown man, stood his ground, came out and faced the media several times, came in here and fought, and I’m sure a lot of moments he’s had leading up to this fight, including tonight in the cage, he felt like his back was against the wall and stood up like a man and he fought and did his thing,” Dana White said while speaking to the media at the post-fight press conference.
Meanwhile, Mitchell acknowledged his loss and thanked God that he was not severely injured despite being unconscious on the mat. “Thank God. He protected me. I didn’t lose my teeth, I’ve got no broken bones,” he expressed in a video on Instagram. Now it will be interesting to see what the future holds for Mitchell after this loss. Let us know your thoughts about this fight in the comments below.
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