Bryce Mitchell faced adversity early on in his UFC bantamweight debut, but he managed to use his grappling expertise to comeback and score a decision victory over Said Nurmagomedov in the featured preliminary card bout at UFC Abu Dhabi.
Nurmagomedov got the better of Mitchell early, dropping him with a big knee. He then jumped onto Mitchell and connected with solid ground-and-pound, but Mitchell tried to stay active from the bottom. He managed to end the round pressing Nurmagomedov into the fence.
Mitchell then scored a takedown early into the second round, showing dominance on top while attempting to find a kimura and an arm-triangle choke. Nurmagomedov would manage to work his way back to the feet, only for Mitchell to score another takedown before the round's end.
Nurmagomedov threatened with a guillotine and secured mount during the third round. Mitchell, however, managed to reverses and controlled most of the round from the top with a body triangle, nullifying any of Nurmagomedov's offense attempts.
Mitchell won the bout 29-28 on all three judges' scorecards.
Bryce Mitchell Victorious In Bantamweight Debut At UFC Abu Dhabi
Mitchell has traded wins and loses consecutively since his undefeated record came to an end in 2022. He came into this bout off a loss to Jean Silva at UFC 314.
Nurmagomedov has now lost two straight and three of his last four. He made his return after an approximately 15-month layoff at UFC Saudi Arabia in February, losing to Vinicius Oliveira.