What happens in Las Vegas usually should stick to Las Vegas. But not if someone already has a pass to be in “Sin City” from their wife! UFC featherweight star Bryce Mitchell finds himself at that very crossroads because his wife just billed him for mandatory visits to the city of Pomp.
A big believer in right-wing political ideology and hardcore conservatives, Bryce Mitchell and wife Erin Handlow are infamous for their take on matters. Despite the advisement to “shut up and stick to sports“, Mitchell is not afraid to share his outspoken socio-political views. It is tough to look yonder and find the 29-year-old grappler sinning at “Sin City”. Hence, he recently explained the details of his monthly pass to Vegas.
[Training appearances in Vegas] It’s going to have to be brother, …actually my wife said I don’t have an option. Yeah, she said you’re going to have to go to Vegas, uh, like once a month…isn’t that something crazy dude [wedges]…yeah, whose wife makes him go to Vegas? [laughs]
Bryce Mitchell to The Schmo (@theschmo312) for the @theschmozone Podcast
The Team Barata MMA star was at the UFC 306 Pay-per-view at Las Vegas ‘Sphere’ this Saturday, AKA The Riyadh Season annual Noche PPV. ‘Thug Nasty’ sat down and later told Dave Schmulenson – The Schmo of the ‘TheSchmozone’ Podcast that he trained at Xtreme Couture and liked it and would be back for it, per the request of his wife. He even hung out with Sean Strickland during the frame.
That put a context behind the conservative sensation trotting the Vegas lanes. From threatening to beat Ben Shapiro to claiming the Federal Reserve is corrupt or the government was behind the 9/11 attacks, Mitchell has done all the quirky ones. So it was hard to imagine him partying with a domestic pass in Vegas. Speaking of this Vegas pass and the training he can do, there’s one what-if fight that he won’t do, any soon and it’s been bugging the MMA community forever.
A case study in Bryce Mitchell: 2024 MMA wish list
The 2024 MMA wish list has been a weird one so far. Biggest superstar and consensus buyout king Conor McGregor vs. the likes of Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier, or Nate Diaz failed to materialize. G.O.A.T. Jon Jones barely ducked ducking claims long enough to revel in his UFC 309 PPV billing against #8 heavyweight Stipe Miocic. His dreamscape matchup with Francis Ngannou, PFL’s biggest free agency acquisition is a dream still.
Bryce Mitchell; Diego Lopes; Movsar Evloev (Source: X/elintra.com.ar)Jessica Andrade vs. Loopy Godinez was one (both are on current losses). King Green vs. Dan Hooker, for example, was another. While some like Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad and Alex Pereira vs. prodigal former champ Jamahal Hill saw completion.
Bryce Mitchell vs. Diego Lopes was to be a similar grappler-vs-grappler game everyone was hoping for. Lopes’ last short-notice defeat came against Movsar Evloev back in 2023. Staring down the barrel from that, The Team Lobo Gym MMA BJJ artist has added signature wins like Gavin Tucker, Pat Sabatini, Sodiq Yusuff, and even Dan Ige.
Before Lopes’ UFC 306 PPV win over Brian Ortega, his four-fight winning streak at featherweight was the fifth most active. Meanwhile, Bryce Mitchell (16-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) was on the receiving end of his first career knockout from Josh Emmett. Consequently, Mitchell has decided to avoid any form of contact and focus on his personal life for the rest of 2024.
With a concussion protocol in place, it’s hard to match up to Lopes, who is treading forward to his promised title shot. He is 2-2 in his last few and urges a few more months. A fight with Evloev as a UFC 307 replacement could be on the horizon. That might just propel him back to attention.
