‘Thug Nasty’ is one of only three fighters to have a particular submission on his UFC record.
A lot of fans are predicting that Jean Silva will put on a dominant display against Bryce Mitchell at UFC 314 in Miami on April 12.
Due to recent controversies, Mitchell has become a disliked figure on the roster as was proven at the press conference for the event several weeks ago.
However, that doesn’t mean that he isn’t deserving of a spot in the featherweight division when you’re looking at his ability alone.
Mitchell truly announced himself at 145-pounds back in 2019 where he replicated one of the most famous submissions in UFC history that stunned a speechless Joe Rogan.
Bryce Mitchell submitted Matt Sayles via a twister back in 2019
Bryce Mitchell found himself in the UFC after competing on season 27 of The Ultimate Fighter as a member of Daniel Cormier’s team.
The Arkansas native defeated his fellow cast member Tyler Diamond at the finale before recording a fight of the night win over Bobby Moffett in March of 2019.
Mitchell returned later that year for a matchup with Matt Sayles in Washington D.C. on the same night that Jairzinho Rozenstruik stopped Alistair Overeem with just 4 seconds left on the clock.
Sayles had gone 1-1 inside the Octagon, submitting Kyle Nelson to bounce back from a decision loss to Sheymon Moraes at UFC 227.
In the opening round of their featherweight clash, Mitchell made history when he became just the second fighter to win a UFC bout via a twister submission.
The technique was popularized by 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu founder Eddie Bravo before Chan Sung Jung, also known as ‘The Korean Zombie’, brought the submission into the Octagon.
Zombie tapped out Leonard Garcia in his UFC debut back in 2011, revealing that he learned the twister by watching videos of Bravo on YouTube.
It then became a legendary move amongst the MMA community before Mitchell was able to replicate the feat, going on to record six consecutive wins inside the Octagon before suffering his first loss to Ilia Topuria.
Da’Mon Blackshear would become the third fighter in UFC history to win by twister in August of 2023 where he submitted Jose Johnson.
Bryce Mitchell’s grappling will test Jean Silva
Jean Silva has been incredibly impressive since arriving in the UFC but we still don’t know how he will cope against a top grappler.
Bryce Mitchell has suffered some devastating losses during his time with the promotion but he’s also beaten some good opposition with his grappling.
Whilst Silva will have a clear advantage on the feet, and he’s never been submitted in his career, Mitchell won’t be planning on having a striking match with him.
Mitchell might not be well liked right now but that doesn’t mean that he’s not a solid contender in the featherweight division who could pull off a huge win by beating Silva in Miami.
