Bryce Mitchell vs. Said Nurmagomedov Predictions

Bryce Mitchell has decided to drop a weight class and try his luck in the Bantamweight division. Thug Nasty is currently ranked 16th in the Lightweight class, but his recent performances suggested that changes had to be made. Welcoming him to the division is the proven Said Nurmagomedov, who just might be the perfect fighter for Mitchell to begin with.

After going undefeated for 15 fights, six in the UFC, Bryce tasted defeat for the first time against Ilia Topuria. The submission loss stifled Mitchell’s career, prompting him to go 2-3 since then. While wins over Dan Ige and a knockout against Kron Gracie suggested that he was on a comeback, the losses were more decisive. The submission loss via ninja coke against Jean Silva was what ultimately tipped in favour of him changing weight classes. 

Said Nurmagomedov is a formidable opponent, but not somebody who is feared in the division. Even though he went 4-0 before the defeat against Jonathan Martinez, he wasn’t able to set up a decent comeback. He did defeat Muin Gafurov via submission, but lost in his final bout against Vinicius Oliveira. 

Nurmagomedov might be the more experienced fighter, but Mitchell is the more explosive one. But we are going to see if a larger weight cup had an effect on him. Thug Nasty is a formidable wrestler and grappler, and is decent on the feet. Said is very adept at batting on the ground, but I do think that Mitcherll has an advantage over him on the ground. If the weight cut goes as planned for Bryce, I think that he will be able to outlast on the ground and even finish his opponent, earning his first win in a new weight class.