5 possible opponents for Bryce Mitchell following his win at UFC 272

#2. Bryce Mitchell vs. Zabit Magomedsharipov

Could Zabit Magomedsharipov's octagon comeback come against Bryce Mitchell?

Right now, Bryce Mitchell is probably focused on pursuing a fight with one of the men ranked above him in the UFC’s featherweight division. However, while he is currently unranked due to his inactivity, Zabit Magomedsharipov would still make a great opponent for ‘Thug Nasty’.

Prior to his absence due to health issues, Zabit had reeled off six straight wins in the octagon, most notably defeating Calvin Kattar and Jeremy Stephens.

Given that he was close to securing a title shot, it seems unlikely that he’d want to fight someone lower on the ladder upon his return. This means that a bout with Mitchell could make plenty of sense.

More to the point, given Magomedsharipov’s penchant for non-stop attacking – both on the feet and on the ground – he’d also make an excellent opponent for Mitchell. The fight would definitely be able to test ‘Thug Nasty’ in his strongest area.

This would be a fight that could easily headline one of the UFC’s Fight Night events. It’d make a lot of sense if the promotion could make it for the near future.

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#1. Bryce Mitchell vs. Brian Ortega

A win over Brian Ortega would catapult Bryce Mitchell directly into title contention

If Bryce Mitchell is looking to claim a shot at the UFC featherweight title any time soon, the quickest route to that would be to knock off the man who last challenged for the gold – Brian Ortega.

Naturally, this would be a fiendishly tricky bout for ‘Thug Nasty’. Ortega has more experience and, stylistically, ‘T-City’ matches horribly with the Arkansas native.

Mitchell has shown himself to be an excellent grappler thus far into his UFC career – most notably using a twister to submit Matt Sayles. However, it’s arguable that Ortega is on another level entirely on the mat. ‘T-City’ has four tapout wins to his name in the octagon.

More recently, Ortega has also worked heavily on his striking. He was not only able to knock out longtime veteran Frankie Edgar, but he also outpointed Chan Sung Jung on the feet in 2020.

However, it’s perhaps safe to argue exactly how healthy ‘T-City’ might be following his wild title bout with Alexander Volkanovski. In that sense, this could be the perfect time for a prospect like Mitchell to take him on.

Mitchell would undoubtedly be the underdog in this fight. However, if he could find a way to win, the possibilities would be endless. Given that he’d also have little to lose with a defeat, this would definitely be a bout worth pursuing for him.