Bryce Mitchell earned the ire of the MMA world and beyond with some controversial comments on issues like the Flat Earth theory. His next opponent Jean Silva even trolled ‘Thug Nasty’ during the UFC 314 build-up over the same. During these hard times, the #13 featherweight contender sought support from Erin Handlow, his wife. But do you know there was a time when Handlow gave Mitchell a peculiar ultimatum? 

Well, we’re talking about the press conference for UFC 310, when ‘Thug Nasty’ talked about his wife’s role in raising his son. During the conference, a reporter asked Mitchell to converse about what he learned from his son. And the one thing that the 30-year-old emphasized was how important mothers were in raising children. He claimed that he was absolutely powerless in that aspect of life. “Behind every man is a great woman, and I’m telling you she’s a tremendously great woman. And without her, I can’t come out here and entertain you all. I promise,” Mitchell remarked.

That’s when the reporter questioned Mitchell about the things that his wife tells him in order to keep him grounded. ‘Thug Nasty’ said, “That she’ll leave me if I mess around.” While it did seem like a perfect response for many, it was nothing but a joke. The featherweight star continued, “No, dude, she just is the ultimate encourager, brother. And you know, she don’t let me be lazy. She don’t let me do anything wrong. I mean, she literally holds me to the highest standard possible, and then rewards me with words of affirmation and love and acts of service. And she’s a 10 out of 10. No, she’s 11 out of 10.” 

Mitchell and Handlow have been together for about 3 years now. But do you know the story of how the lovebirds met? Be prepared to be surprised by Tucker Carlson’s huge role in Mitchell’s marriage. 

Bryce Mitchell credits Tucker Carlson for his happy marriage

During a conversation with Daniel Cormier, prior to his fight against Kron Gracie at UFC 310, Mitchell revealed that Carlson was actually the reason why he met his wife, and the two fell for each other. He said, “We would have never met if I didn’t go on Tucker Carlson. But at that point in my life, I was praying for a wife. I was literally just saying, ‘God, please, give me a wife because if not, I’m in trouble.’ Absolutely. She messaged me on Instagram after that, said, ‘Hey, I seen you on Tucker Carlson.’ And we started talking.”

And that’s the reason why the #13 featherweight contender decided to name his son Tucker. After all, Mitchell has openly claimed that it was his ‘destiny’ to meet Handlow. And for that, he’s ever so grateful. He has filled his social media profiles with pictures of himself together with his wife, all laden with romantic captions. 

For now, Mitchell is getting ready to take on Jean Silva at UFC 314. Coming off a third-round knockout victory over Gracie, ‘Thug Nasty’ is certainly looking forward to claiming a win on 12 April 2025. And we can definitely expect the loudest cheer for Mitchell at Kaseya Center, Miami, to be that of his wife. No matter the outcome of the bout, that’s a constant in the featherweight’s life. 

What are your thoughts on Mitchell’s love story? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.