Bryce
Mitchell survived an early scare and went on to secure a
unanimous decision against Dan Ige in the
co-main event at
UFC Fight Night 228 on Saturday.
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Despite being busted up near his right eye, which caused the
cageside doctor to interrupt the fight twice, “Thug Nasty” showed
immense grit in edging out the victory. Known for his polarizing
ideas on a variety of topics, Mitchell launched into a bizarre rant
on the Hawaii firestorm in his post-fight Octagon interview.
Mitchell pledged $5,000 to victims of the tragedy through Ige, who
was born in California but calls Haleiwa on Oahu’s North Shore
home.
However, “Thug Nasty,” while giving credit to Ige’s performance,
also opined that the fires were a man-made attempt to drive native
Hawaiians out of their land.
“He’s the hardest hitter I’ve ever fought. I didn’t expect him to
be so fast and move so well. And his grappling defense is so good
too,” Mitchell said of Ige. “I brought this Bible in here tonight
because I do believe Satan has taken over this earth. And something
specifically I’m talking about is these fires in Hawaii. I’ll be
donating $5,000 to Dan Ige tonight
to give to people in Hawaii…Also these fires in Hawaii, I don’t
believe they are natural, I believe they are man-made. They want to
take the land from the natives.”
Mitchell also wanted Ige to lead Hawaiians in prayer against Satan,
a request that was denied by UFC commentator Michael
Bisping during the post-fight interview. However, Mitchell,
undeterred, proceeded to make Ige sit down in prayer with folded
knees while the latter complied.