"He looked great," "Cut Bryce" - Fans react as Bryce Mitchell defeats Said Nurmagomedov after being knocked down at UFC Abu Dhabi

MMA fans worldwide took notice of Bryce Mitchell’s win over Said Nurmagomedov in a bantamweight bout in the prelims of UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. de Ridder, which is currently taking place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Many were impressed by Mitchell’s performance in his successful UFC debut in the 135-pound division.

Mitchell was 2-3 in his last five octagon appearances, with the most recent being a second-round submission loss to Jean Silva in their featherweight bout at UFC 314. Meanwhile, Nurmagomedov was coming off a unanimous decision loss to Vinicius Oliveira at UFC Saudi Arabia earlier this year. Both fighters were hoping to get back in the win column.

Nurmagomedov started the fight on a positive note, displaying his striking ability. He even dropped Mitchell with a vicious knee in the opening round. However, 'Thug Nasty' bounced back in the later rounds and controlled the bout with his wrestling prowess. After three rounds of action, the American fighter was declared the winner via unanimous decision. The judges scored the contest 29-28 x3 in favor of Mitchell.

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Fans soon rushed to the comments section to share their reactions.

One fan wrote:

''Clear victory. He looked great. Now, who’s next for him?''

Another stated:

''Cut Bryce.''

Other fans wrote:

''Bryce Mitchell just fraud checked one of Khabib's training patner, he’s coming for Umar next'' ''Very good scrap. Said needed a point taken away for toes in the cage but the right person won. I’ve always said Bryce needed to be in this weight class and this win is huge and confirms what I have always thought. He’d be a force at bantamweight.''

Check out more reactions below:

Fan reactions [Screenshots courtesy: @ChampRDS on X]

Following his win, Mitchell spoke to Michael Bisping and offered his thoughts, saying:

''I’m happy with the win. That was honestly my hardest fight ever. Whatever Dana [White] and Hunter [Campbell] and Sean [Shelby] want, I’m here to do. I never complain.''

Check out Bryce Mitchell's comments below (0:33):

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Edited by Swagat Kumar Jena