There was plenty of bad blood between Bryce Mitchell and Jean Silva heading into their UFC 314 bout. Silva got the last word on Saturday, choking Mitchell out in the second round to score the biggest win of his career.
Mitchell started the fight well, surprisingly showcasing good footwork in the stand-up game and peppering Silva with kicks to the calves and thighs. Despite Mitchell’s early success, Silva remained calm, talking to Mitchell throughout the fight and taunting when he landed his own strikes.
As much as Mitchell had flipped the script on expectations that he would not be able to keep pace with Silva in the striking game, Silva was able to be the more threatening grappler, threatening with chokes several times.
The fight changed dramatically when Silva dropped Mitchell with a straight right hand in the second round. Mitchell suddenly seemed far more desperate to score takedowns and less willing to engage with his strikes.
Unfortunately for Mitchell, who has become a very controversial figure after expressing beliefs in bizarre conspiracy theories and using his podcast as a platform to suggest he would have been friends with Adolf Hitler, Silva was up to the task in the grappling game. With Mitchell seemingly fatigued and desperate, he left his neck out for Silva to wrap up and finish the fight as he choked Mitchell unconscious.
Silva is now 5-0 in the UFC with all five wins coming by stoppage. With that solid run, Silva made it clear in his post-fight interview that he is targeting the winner of the UFC 314 main event between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes for the featherweight title.
“Diego Lopes is going to be the next champion,” Silva said. “I want him.”
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