Bryce Mitchell is the No.11-ranked featherweight in the UFC. He has come forward to claim that the mega event between Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev at UFC 284 was rigged.
Despite featherweight champion Volkanovski’s impressive performance and dominant display in the fifth round, the judges awarded the victory to Makhachev. Mitchell has gone a step further and declared that the judges were bribed to influence the outcome.
The event, which took place in Perth, Australia, was a historic moment in UFC history as Volkanovski attempted to become only the fifth simultaneous two-division champion in history. The bout was closely contested, but Volkanovski’s late charge was not enough to sway the judges in his favor. However, many fans have criticized the official scorecard and questioned the integrity of the judging process.
In a recent interview with Fanatics View, ‘Thug Nasty’ stated that he believed the bout was “rigged” and that the judges were bribed to favor Makhachev. Mitchell pointed to Makhachev’s popularity and the amount of money he brings in from the Middle East, suggesting that this may have influenced the judges’ decision. However, there is no concrete evidence to support Mitchell’s claims, and it is essential to note that the UFC has a strict policy against bribery and corruption.
” he [Islam Makhachev] brings in all that money from the Middle East. When you’re bringing in that kind of oil money… I guess they just f***king paid the judges to… I don’t know. I knowAlexander Volkanovski won a decision. I don’t think nothing. I knowhe won and I knowthat s**t was rigged, and I’m not f***king stupid… I know Alexander Volkanovski won that”
Not to mention that the actual event wasn’t in the Middle East, unlike most of Makhachev’s bouts.
In the same interview, Bryce Mitchell was asked for his thoughts on Dana White’s latest combat sports venture, the Power Slap League. Mitchell was not a fan of the sport and described it as a “waste of time.” However, he did indicate that he would consider participating if the money was right, stating that he would require “Mcgregor money” (around $10 million) to take part in the competition.
Bryce Mitchell is set to compete against Jonathan Pearce at UFC 288 in Newark, New Jersey, on May 6.He will be looking to bounce back from his submission loss to Ilia Topuria in December 2022. He also dismissed the validity of Topuria loss saying anyone could’ve beaten him that day because he was going through a really bad bout of the flue.