UFC Vegas 79 results: Bryce Mitchell survives busted eye to outgrapple Dan Ige
Bryce Mitchell survived a busted up eye to put on a suffocating grappling display to beat Dan Ige in the UFC Vegas 79 co-main event.
Despite a couple of cuts and severe swelling that had to compromise his vision, Mitchell just kept pressing forward to get his takedowns, which allowed him to dominate Ige on the ground for several minutes throughout the fight. Mitchell spent almost the entire third round draped on Ige as he looked for submission that helped him secure the victory while bouncing back from the first loss of his career.
When it was over, the judges scored the fight 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 with Mitchell getting the nod.
“He’s the hardest hitter I’ve ever fought,” Mitchell said about Ige. “His grappling defense is so good, too. That’s a scratch [on my eye], that ain’t nothing.”
In the early going, it was Ige who displayed fast hands and a quick trigger as he continuously popped Mitchell with a series of straight punches. Mitchell kept pressing forward in an attempt to drag the fight to the floor but Ige was able to repeatedly shrug him off.
With just over one minute remaining in the opening round, Mitchell finally got Ige to the canvas and he actually landed in the mount as he began dishing out some damage of his own. Ige survived the onslaught and after getting back to his feet at the start of the second, he uncorked a huge shot that left Mitchell with a huge cut over his right eye along with significant swelling.
Just when it looked like Ige was taking over, Mitchell rushed forward where he snagged another timely takedown into the mount yet again. Ige tried to scramble free but Mitchell maintained control while searching for submissions until the horn sounded.
With five minutes remaining, Mitchell wasted no time getting Ige back to the ground again, which gave him a lot more time to work. Ige also seemed stuck playing defense without a clear path to escape Mitchell’s grappling.
Even when Ige finally managed to work his way up again, Mitchell was quick to grab onto him and bring the fight crashing back to the floor again. Those grappling exchanges made all the difference as Mitchell exerted his will over Ige until the fight came to a close.
The win moved Mitchell to 7-1 overall in the UFC with his only loss coming to top-ranked featherweight contender Ilia Topuria. Meanwhile, Ige’s two-fight win streak comes to an end with the decision loss to Mitchell on Saturday.