Bryce Mitchell withdrew from a grappling match to focus on a potential UFC fight, while Jean Silva, who recently won at UFC Seattle, hopes to face Mitchell next and sees it as an opportunity to elevate his standing in the UFC.
Bryce Mitchell recently pulled out of a grappling match at Karate Combat, hinting at “a big matchup” coming up in the UFC. Jean Silva hopes to be his next opponent in the octagon.
Silva dominated Melsik Baghdasaryan last weekend at UFC Seattle, boosting his record to 4-0 with four knockouts since joining the UFC. In his post-fight interview, he called out Mitchell. On Monday, Silva told MMA Fighting that although the UFC hasn’t contacted him yet about his next fight, he’s confident something’s brewing.
“Since he’s skipping this grappling match, I suspect the tough fight he’s preparing for involves me,” Silva speculated. “They probably didn’t give him an option. Like, ‘You gotta take this fight.’ And since he’s a hillbilly, he’ll try to act all tough. Hillbillies love strolling around with toothpicks in their mouths—I’ll make him swallow it.”
Mitchell stirred controversy earlier this year by defending Adolf Hitler and denying the Holocaust. But Silva has more reasons than just those remarks to want to punch him in the face.
“Taking down Bryce Mitchell would be a nice feather in my cap,” Silva said. “Knocking him out would elevate me because even Ilia Topuria couldn’t do that—he had to submit him after three rounds. So if I knock Bryce out like I did Melsik, Dana and Hunter will see me differently.”
“It’s one thing to knock [Mitchell] out like Josh Emmett did with an overhand punch,” Silva continued. “I build my knockouts step by step. When I take down Bryce Mitchell, they’ll notice my methodical approach. Then maybe I’ll face Josh Emmett and head straight for the belt—or perhaps one more fight after that, similar to Topuria’s path.”
Silva appreciated UFC CEO Dana White’s praise after UFC Seattle and the $50,000 performance bonus he received. He joked that White might be more excited about his talent than he shows publicly—otherwise, “the price goes up.” Silva suggested a showdown with Mitchell at UFC 315 on May 10 in Montreal, “if Mitchell agrees to get beat up on that date.”
“I’m opening a kindergarten here—I’m educating these kids,” Silva quipped. “Charles Jourdain was having close fights; I went there and taught him a lesson. Drew Dober? He’s good, so I won’t count him. Melsik kept dodging fights—‘You wanna dodge fights? Let me educate you.’ And now it’s sh*t-talker Bryce Mitchell’s turn. I’ll wash his mouth with a beating.”