Bryce Mitchell is moving down to 135lbs for this fight and while many fighters change weight classes all the time, I don't love this one. Bryce obviously got smoked in his last fight but he's not a particularly small 145lber and his losses were to some of the best fighters on the planet. This feels more like a knee jerk reaction than a plan.
This is officially the toughest fight on the card to pick. I have no idea how Bryce will look at his new weight class. I do know that Said has questionable takedown defense and has been taken down 11 times in the UFC. If we get a healthy, full of energy and physically strong Bryce, he can absolutely win this fight the same way he has won so many others. If however, we get a chinny, sucked out Bryce who is shooting from too far away, he might get embarrassed. As of this minute, I am going to pick Bryce because of what i think might be a wrestling advantage. but definitely keep an eye on the website or future videos in case i flip.
Bryce Mitchell
Bryce Mitchell is a dominant wrestler who sticks to a gameplan. He averages over 3 takedowns per fight and just about 2 significant strikes per minute, so basically he is just diving at legs. His striking is awkward but he doesn't even pretend that he wants to strike, he keeps his hands low and starts crotch sniffing from there. If he gets you to the ground, which is almost a guarantee, he doesn't strike, he works for submissions, keeps control and has had some of the most incredible grappling scrambles you'll ever see. He is coming off the very bad loss to Jean Silva which forced him to go down in weight.
Said Nurmagomedov
Said Nurmagomedov is a flashy striker who uses his length really well. His range keeps him dangerous both in and out of the pocket. He can literally throw kicks to your head while standing only a few feet in front of you. His striking is versatile and his takedown defense is solid ok 62%. The length doesn't just benefit him on his feet, he also uses it to lock up and insane guillotine, literally might have the best guillotine in MMA. He is coming off the loss to Vinicius Oliveira where he couldn't handle the pressure LockDog brought.
