UFC 249: Ferguson vs. Gaethje - Predictions and Picks (Part Two)

#5 Featherweight: Bryce Mitchell vs. Charles Rosa

Bryce Mitchell became the second UFC fighter to win via twister in 2019

At one point, it looked like Featherweight Bryce Mitchell was destined to be a punchline in the world of MMA; the undefeated prospect made headlines in 2018 by somehow tearing his scrotum with a power drill, something that overshadowed the fact that he’s actually a pretty good fighter.

That all changed in December 2019, when he became only the second fighter to use the famed ‘twister’ spinal crank to submit a foe inside the Octagon. The win – over Matt Sayles – took Mitchell to 3-0 in the UFC, and now ‘Thug Nasty’ has a chance to move further up the ranks when he takes on Charles Rosa.

Rosa is a journeyman extraordinaire; ‘Boston Strong’ spent over two years on the shelf between 2017 and 2019 with a neck injury, but returned to submit Manny Bermudez last October. That win took him to 3-3 in the UFC, with his wins all coming over lower-level opponents and his losses coming to higher-ranked fighters like Yair Rodriguez and Shane Burgos.

Basically then, this should be an indicator of whether Mitchell has the talent to reach the top of the UFC. Only Burgos – a remarkably heavy hitter – has ever stopped Rosa, and so if Mitchell could pull that off, it’d be a huge feather in his cap.

Overall this looks like an evenly matched fight; both men have solid skills in all areas, but I think Mitchell has more potential than Rosa and is the more likely of the two to have been improving consistently. I’ll take him to win via decision – but wouldn’t be surprised if this one goes the other way.

The Pick: Mitchell via unanimous decision