Bryce Mitchell joined Brett Okamoto to discuss: 0:00 Working on the barn! 3:00 More on the scary KO 11:00 Usual game plan …
what’s up guys Brett okamoto from ESPN joined by UFC featherweight Bryce Mitchell who joins us from Arkansas and uh Happy New Year happy 2024 to you Bryce um before we get to all the fight stuff I gotta ask because you know it was it was one of the biggest things you were talking about during fight week was uh how is the barn looking is the barn all finished or are we still we’re still working on the barn the barn is still coming along but here’s the crazy part about the construction going on here is that I am juggling multiple projects I have a a 28 by 28t octagon that I’m turning into a chicken coop I’m doing a barn that’s about 40 by 60 40 by 70 and I’m doing a 1600 foot house and I’m doing all of those at the same time and I’m not exaggerating I’ve got three construction sites I was particularly working on the barn before the fight because the barn it’s exterior work um and it the barn it has a 40ft span so these trusses on the barn um or joist people call them joist um they span 40 foot and so it really helps me to have two people working on that barn with me so I was working on the barn in particular because I had two people I was working with my buddy sadik he holds on one side of that joist I hold on the other we put it up screw it in and we adjust our ladders and we work down the whole span of the barn but um I was working on the barn because I had a good friend who is an experienced roofer and he had a like a week off and we were just we were working on that Barn together what’s more exciting at this point in in your life is it uh working on a barn and seeing the barn come together or is it working on your fight game and seeing you know some technique come together getting a win inside the Octagon or is it seeing a structure like a barn go up on your property that’s that’s a man that’s a tough one because I got appreciation for both if I had to pick if I had to give up one I would probably pick fighting I just have always loved it since I was a kid I’ve liked fighting even since before I understood the importance of farming and um I really like fighting I really love fighting I love watching it I’m addicted to it I you know so um but good thing about fing is I can do that in the meantime I can’t fight for a while so I need a I need a good long break to uh get healthy and come back stronger uh and in the meantime I’m going to build a lot of Barns and a lot of chicken cops I’m going to finish a house I’m going to have a kid and uh man it’s just life is is really really good right now I just got to keep working and finish these projects that I’ve started obviously you talk about needing the time off that that is because of you know one of the biggest Knockouts of the year that unfortunately you were on the wrong side of and and I did want to talk to you about it of course and that is the first question is just um talk talk about the night you know I mean we see what happens obviously and and uh we saw you go down from the emit punch and then you put up a few social media posts saying that you were okay um how have you been feeling since then has there been any effects and then just uh kind of talk about the the the night of of it happening well I got to thank the MMA Community this is my most prestigious award I’ve ever received and I do believe I think we got knockout of the year um I want to thank the Lord Jesus Christ for keeping me safe for that one um and yeah you know no I’m just kidding obviously that’s not an award I want to get but uh thing is is uh man I had to take the fight I couldn’t say no I got a kid coming up they paid me very well and I’m very happy and that’s the bottom line brother I’m very happy uh yeah some stuff went wrong but that’s what I signed up for and that’s obviously the risk that’s why they pay you well because stuff can go really bad um but I could have done better too I know that and the game plan was literally Brett I’m not kidding you was literally don’t go in there and throw straight rights throw power punches um I went in there and threw a power punch right off the bat with him and the the coaches were telling me don’t throw straight rights don’t throw straight rights and I knew not to throw straight right I guess in the moment I couldn’t resist myself hell I can’t even remember it now so I can’t tell you what I was thinking I remember the first part of the fight but actually throwing the straight right I don’t know I don’t maybe I was reading a jab of his or I guess I got greedy though and wanted to throw that straight right but coaches told me don’t go in there and throw straight rights cuz he’s going to time him and uh of course he did but like I said the bottom line is brother I’m happy I got paid what I needed to make to finish this house and this barn and the chicken coou and stuff and um I will have a really really good training camp for my next fight and I’m coming back with the Vengeance well so you said in the social media post that uh you reme the first thing you remember is sitting down on the the gurnie in the ambulance can you just kind of talk about what what that’s like to to sort of lose some time in your life and then then what do you remember when like when you got into the ambulance like did you know what it happened like did it have to be explained can you just kind of walk through some of the little bit of what you remember when you did kind of come to well I had Willie with me and Willie was just telling me that I got knocked out and uh yeah that’s all I remember is waking up in the ambulance but um the thing is is even when a fighter gets knocked out that bad and like I was watching the fight back for um film study well then I started when I saw how bad the knockout was I watched the whole thing and I watched what they did with me afterwards and I was talking afterwards I was shaking hands and stumbling around dude they need to immediately escort me out of there and I really do think that needs to be a protocol because from my standpoint I can’t remember nothing and I would much rather say I get knocked out again I’d much rather them to just escort me out of there as soon as I’m up on my feet and I mean like up under the armpits and not even talk to me or nothing you know just uh get me out of there as quickly as possible uh but they still did good if you notice like they had all those officials in there and even though I was talking and saying oh I’m fine and stuff they did escort me out eventually but I don’t even think they should should talk to me in that case because I was probably arguing with them telling them oh I’m fine I can walk or 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 uh you know and that’s just how they need to do that because as Fighters man it something could they could stumble around and fall and hurt their head even worse for sure yeah and then the big I think like the the most kind of jarring thing about uh The Knockout was obviously the the convulsions I mean what is that like for you to sit there and and watch yourself do that is that that unsettling for you or what what is that like I do that in my sleep anyway so I mean I’m not really worried about that part ask my wife should tell you I was kicking stuff in my sleep yeah that’s just a normal thing that you’ve done like what since you were a kid yeah that don’t concern me at all well that’s great that that you’re not worried about the convulsions how about uh everybody else like your your loved ones your family members like did you get a lot of like concerned text messages like when you got to the hospital what was your phone doing when you got there yeah that’s the worst part uh for me is uh dealing with everybody afterwards because they all thought I was dead and everything and I mean it’s just terrible you know cuz literally everybody that I knew was crying and just like sad but on the bright side that was the easiest fight for me as far as I’m concerned I’ve never had a fight where I’ve come out of it feeling so great I just wake up in an ambulance and can barely remember what happened but I mean there’s no pain I’m just telling that’s just it was that quick dude I wasn’t in pain or nothing but what the hardest part for me to deal with is everybody was crying and they thought I was dead and I’m not exaggerating like all of my friends I’m not kidding you like every one of them literally thought I was dead or something and um they were all crying I’m not kidding you and so it was that that bothers me and that’s going to motivate me because I know now it’s not just me getting hurt these people care about me that are watching and it it really actually that that bothers me the most is that everybody else was so bothered is it um I know some some guys are like well that’s there forever now you know like that’s going to be part of you’re going to see that like in highlight packages for years and years and years for I mean it’s going to live on forever like does that part of it bother you or you you get over that part pretty easily well that’s that’s very true what you just said that’s going to live forever and let me tell you what else is going to live forever there’s this kid named Tucker Tu Mitchell coming okay Tucker Mitchell is going to have a house that’s paid off he’s going to have a car that’s paid off he’s going to have his food paid off he’s gonna have a life that Bryce Mitchell didn’t have okay Tucker Mitchell’s gonna have it better than Bryce Mitchell had it and that’s a fact I’ll put my life on it that’s something that they can’t take from me and that is what matters to me here’s another thing brother is I worship a guy that was beat to death on a cross for something he didn’t even do so that’s the guy that I idolize that I try to be more like every day so what I get knocked out in a fight what is more important is that I’m living a Godly life that honors Jesus and I know that I am and I know also too doing that staying on that path of honoring God leads to prosperity and this may look like some type of loss uh for everybody on the outside but for me personally when I see the house that I’m building and I see the barn that I’m building and I see what this money has done for my family’s freedom I cannot be selfish and say that this is a loss and so personally I just can’t tell you how happy I am but um I understand people are going to make fun of me but dude that’s the least of my concern I mean it just all that matters to me is my family is provided for in a way that I never was uh you know but and I had a great childhood but what I’m saying is my mom was always worried about money and uh we won’t have that we won’t have that here with you know um the kids gonna have it good is this G give you any pause about taking fights on short notice or would you do it again shot they want to give me a raise I’ll do it again I swear on my life I will if they give me a raise if they if they if they just paay me a little bit more I’ll take one on 10 days notice again I’ll take one on two days notice I’m not kidding you he you know obviously I’d want paid a little bit more but I’d do it yeah I saw that uh well I think it was in a social media post that you said that uh your game plan was to throw Jabs and you’re like well why did I do that though that’s not the way I fight why do you think you did that why do you think you kind of went away from the way that you fight well usually I have time to bulk up I wasn’t as big and strong as I usually am so we knew that this guy is real big real strong uh so I was going to make reads in the first couple minutes kind of um before I ran into a big shot but obviously I did that anyways but the game and but also too coaches told me don’t throw the cross that’s where I messed up I went in and I wanted to trade right hands with Josh EMT and that’s all he does is throw right hands you know so it’s like you don’t want to do do that game my coach has told me don’t play his game with him don’t go in there and throw crosses but I got greedy I went in there and just I wanted to throw something to it he threw a bunch of right hands at me I wanted to throw one back and then that’s when he got me you said uh that obviously you need to take some time off how much time do you need to take off and is that is your coaches telling you that or is that like actual medical Physicians telling you to take time off like how are you approaching when you’ll come back well I am my own medical physician and I’ve been Consulting myself daily I put myself on a custom Training Program and a custom recovery program I’m also on my own concussion protocol so I’m doing all of my stuff and yeah I’m Consulting with my coaches to my my coaches too and uh we’re basically just saying you know don’t Spar for about six months or something but um I got to build this house have this kid uh and then I’m right into my next training camp after that uh that’s going to be a couple more months before I even start doing that okay okay so you’re couple months be so you would think that you would fight again in six months or you’re saying you’re not going to spar again in six months so you’re thinking like next second half of next year is when you would take a fight yeah something like that but the good thing is I don’t have to rush into it here in a couple months I can go you know may maybe four months from now I can maybe Spar uh see how it feels then begin a sparring regiment for a couple more months and then get in the talks of having a fight but you know get into a legitimate training regiment because before that fight that I took on 10 days notice it wasn’t just that I took it on 10 days notice I hadn’t trained since a eay fight um I was just doing construction I was building a house and um like I said I do it again that’s not that doesn’t bother me but if I have time to actually prepare properly you’re going to see much better results I can promise you but what’s funny is that if they pay me more I don’t care I’ll just I don’t even have to train I’ll just show up and fight because like I said I’m just happy that my family is provided for um obviously can’t do that every fight I’m going to implement a Long training camp starting after this child is born well I think the last question I’ll ask you Bryce is just kind of like uh sort of I guess how you’re feeling mentally at this point in your career you know go back just three fights and you were undefeated and you were on your way up and now it’s like these last couple years um have been there’s been some obstacles right there’s been some injuries there’s been some inactivity and then you take this fight on short notice so it’s like when I hear listen to you talk it’s like um obviously you still have a ton of potential you still have a lot of growth a lot of a lot of big fights in front of you and then you’re like hey if they pay me more I’ll take a fight on two days notice like I guess what is the most important thing to you now like moving forward in your career sort of how are you going to make your decisions like I guess as a belt you know how important is that like how how how much do you see your potential like like now that you’ve been in there with some of the guy I mean Josh EMT fought for a championship elot toore is GNA fight for a championship you know what it’s like to be in there with those guys who are at the very top level I mean just kind of where do you feel like you’re stacking up where’s your confidence level where’s kind of like your mindset at this point now that you kind of um you were undefeated and now it’s you know you’ve lost two of your last three I just kind of want to know what’s going through your mind in terms of competitively moving forward so the number one thing that is the most most important brother and I cannot stress this enough you’ll probably hear me say it over and over and over again but I’m just going to keep saying it the number one thing is that I honor God and when you understand that then you’ll understand how I operate and why I operate the way that I operate if you don’t understand that that I’m trying to honor God you’re not going to understand how I make decisions you’re not going to understand you’re going to think I’m an absolute crazy man when you understand that I operate and I’m trying to honor God and that’s all that matters then you can look in my shoes and say okay I see the path that he’s going to walk um also too you ask where’s my confidence brother I’m I’m the best I’m just telling you it’s going to come out people are going to understand that my confidence is Untouchable okay because I have that Foundation of hard work that it was built upon Blood Sweat and Tears and a result over one night you can’t take away my 15 years of hard work I’m just telling you you can’t I have that Foundation I know where I am my confidence is Untouchable um and also too I trust in Christ so I know that a lot of this stuff is actually out of my control and Christ is going to do what he wants and I just have to respond and yield to you know what he wants um and then there was another question in there oh you you you kept saying I was undefeated you kept saying I was undefeated and that’s where the misconception big misconception lies man and uh shoot I I personally was not undefeated I mean I’m telling you I got beat on the best opportunity I’d had was to go win The Ultimate Fighter I got beat in that I got beat as an amateur when I was a kid you know I was probably 10 years old my neighbor Jimmy knocked me out in the front yard you know to to I I can tell you all these times I’ve had my ass kick brother and just because there wasn’t a camera crew there recording it that people don’t understand the things that I’ve been through in life and so they think this knockout is going to make me or break me it wouldn’t matter it wouldn’t have made me any more of a fighter if ID have gone in there knock Josh IM it out I’m telling you I am what I am and and nobody can take that from me and just because you ain’t seen me get my ass whooped before doesn’t mean I can’t get my ass whoop and come back I’m telling you I’ve been doing this for a while um um but the perception that people see me all the undefeated up andcome that’s great for a marketing campaign that’s great go ahead run ads all you want you know slap some camo on it and there you go bam sell it all you want I don’t give a what I’m telling you is um the reality is I’ve been beaten and that’s how I’m tough and one loss ain’t gonna ain’t going to stop me you can’t stop that okay and I’m telling you it’s going to be God’s plan and he’s provided me with the health to take another opportunity to fight here in about a year or whatever and I’m going to do it again and I’m telling you God willing I’m just going to keep fighting till I can’t do it no more and like I said I’m not done yet I’m coming back brother yeah that makes sense man that really makes sense I like the way you put that because you know yeah you were marketed as an undefeated fighter but that’s not really indictive that’s not who I am dude sense I grew up the smallest kid in the neighborhood and I got my ass kicked all the time dude people don’t understand uh but my real friends they know so it is what it is I always enjoy talking to you man thank you so much for uh for doing this right after the New Year um enjoy your time off enjoy your son man really uh congratulations again on on the upcoming birth of your child and uh enjoy putting together that uh that campus that you got going over there in Arkansas dude yeah we we can we can meet up again when all that’s done we can we can uh podcast from inside of that place is going to be nicer we’re getting out of this trailer eventually okay yeah show me show me the Octagon chicken Coupe I mean that sounds very very unique man that’s got to be one one of its kind in the world so dude well I tell you what when we get this place built there’s going to be room you come over to Arkansas if you want it’s very cheap so never been never been to Arkansas I would come and and God bless you brother and and thank you for just putting me in that good light and giving me this platform man I’m so appreciative because uh I want to let people know I’m okay and then I’m happy that yeah I’m G to go I’m I’m I’m not done yet I’m far from done