With a moniker like ‘Thug Nasty’, an outspoken attitude, and a Deep South accent coupled with mean submission skills, Bryce Mitchell is one of the most entertaining fighters in the modern UFC landscape. The Arkansas native, known for his off-the-cuff hot takes like proclaiming the Earth is flat, puts his money where his mouth is when it comes to competing inside the Octagon. Truly, Mitchell fears no man, his only losses have come at the hands of high-level featherweights.

Even in his losses, the pro-American fighter went out on his shield. So who has the Arkansas native lost to in his career? In light of his upcoming bout against Kron Gracie at UFC 310, let’s take a closer look at the bouts where Mitchell came up short.

Who did Bryce Mitchell lose to?

Barring his two professional losses in the Octagon, Bryce Mitchell has a clean MMA record with 16 wins. Mitchell first broke into the promotion’s scene in The Ultimate Fighter season 27. While putting on incredible showings in the season, he suffered his first MMA loss to Brad Katona in the show’s semi-finals. Though this was loss as a professional MMA fighter, TUF wins and losses are counted in official records, so Mitchell missed a bullet and got to keep his then 9-0 undefeated record.

For the next six UFC appearances, ‘Thug Nasty’ continued his undefeated streak, until he met then-future featherweight champion Ilia Topuria at UFC 282. While not backing down from the Georgian-Spanish finisher, even having moments where he tagged ‘El Matador’, stating toe-to-toe with him, he was dropped in the second round and ended up tapping to an arm-triangle submission, marking his first professional loss.

Mitchell was able to bounce back with a win in his next fight against Dan Ige at UFC Fight Night 228, winning via unanimous decisions. However, what happened to him in his next fight is truly the stuff of horror. But what happened to ‘Thug Nasty’ at UFC 296? Let’s find out.

What happened to Bryce Mitchell at UFC 296

Bryce Mitchell accepted the UFC 296 fight against Josh Emmett on short notice and paid the price for it by being on the receiving end of one of the most brutal knockouts of 2023. Emmett feinted with a left before hitting a right-hand punch that struck Mitchell square in the face – a connection so powerful that ‘Thug Nasty’ collapsed to the canvas.

What followed next was one of the biggest scares in MMA history. The 29-year-old began convulsing while lying on the floor, which alarmed everyone around. Even head honcho Dana White rushed to the octagon to check on Mitchell. The entire arena was taken aback by the scene, and after being treated by the medical team, Bryce Mitchell gained some consciousness but was rushed to the hospital.

During an interview with ESPM MMA, Bryce Mitchell revealed details about the incident and said that many of his friends and relatives believed the featherweight had died. “I just woke up in the ambulance and barely remembered what happened. There’s no pain, I’m telling you. But everybody was crying, and they thought I was dead; I’m not exaggerating.” Fortunately, the fighter did not pass away and is now gearing up for a return against Kron Gracie at UFC 310. What do you think? Will he be able to win the fight? Let us know in the comments.