Bryce Mitchell is preparing for his long-awaited return to the Octagon at UFC 310, where he will meet Kron Gracie in a highly anticipated three-round bout at T-Mobile Arena. After a year away from the mat, ‘Thug Nasty’ is eager to bounce back from his loss against Josh Emmett. Many usually remember that fight for all the wrong reasons (in Bryce Mitchell’s case).

Right before the clock registered two minutes into the contest, Mitchell received a strong right hand that knocked him unconscious on the canvas. So much was the damage assimilated that the official broadcast showed the fighter convulsing for a few seconds. So what exactly happened to Mitchell? Is he finally healthy enough to make a comeback? Let’s find out all about what looked like the UFC fighter’s near-death incident.

What happened to Bryce Mitchell at UFC 295? Did he suffer a seizure?

Bryce Mitchell took a fight on short notice with Josh Emmett at UFC 296, but he paid the most hefty price, suffering one of the most devastating knockouts of 2023. In a fast and surprising fight, Josh Emmett feinted with a left before landing a right hand that connected with Mitchell, flush in the face. The blow was so impactful that the 29-year-old fighter slumped onto the canvas.

Left lying on the floor, the featherweight started convulsing, generating much concern among those present. The moment was quite shocking even for Dana White who rushed to the octagon to check on the fallen fighter. It wasn’t just Dana White but the entire MMA community that was left shocked and worried for ‘Thug Nasty’. Being tended to by the medical team, the 30-year-old fighter eventually woke up, albeit dazed, and was transported to the hospital.

Speaking about it in an interview, Bryce Mitchell revealed that many of his friends and family believed that the featherweight had passed away. “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.”

Medical expert and Joe Rogan React to Bryce Mitchell KO

The seizure wasn’t just a scary experience for Bryce Mitchell, but also for the ones watching the fight. Joe Rogan, who was calling the fight from the commentator’s booth, was angered by the fact that the medical staff did not provide Mitchell with a stool to sit on. As a result, the JRE host believed that ‘Thug Nasty’ was at risk of hurting his knee. But what exactly caused the seizure? Well, according to Dr. Brian Sutterer on his YouTube channel, Mitchell had suffered from what is called a post-traumatic seizure due to Emmett’s devastating strike.

The seizure came as a result of a brain injury after getting punched by Emmett. However, unlike Rogan, Dr. Sutterer praised the medical staff for keeping the fighter’s spine straight by holding his neck. Not just that, if they had given ‘Thug Nasty’ a stool to sit on, chances are that he would’ve fallen off of it and injured himself further. However, there was one thing that did cause Bryce Mitchell some trouble, and it was not being escorted out ASAP. In an interview, the featherweight revealed that while the medical team did a brilliant job out there, the UFC should bring the protocol of escorting out a fighter the moment they suffer a seizure.

“They need to immediately escort me out of there, and I really do think that needs to be protocol.” He further added, “I mean up [pick me up] under the armpits and not even talk to me or nothing. Just get me out of there as quickly as possible. But they still did good.”, Mitchell said after watching the tape of the fight.

He further added, “They did escort me out eventually, but I don’t even think they should even talk to me in that cage, because I was probably arguing with them, telling them, ‘Oh, I’m fine; I can walk’—I’ don’t even know what I was saying. But yeah, they need to get me out of the cage, and I’m glad that they did.” With this haunting experience behind him, Mitchell will return to action against another BJJ phenom in Kron Gracie. What do you think? Will he make a stunning comeback? Let us know in the comments.