Bryce Mitchell vs. Said Nurmagomedov squared off in a Bantamweight contest earlier tonight (Sat. July 26, 2025) live on ABC inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. After a competitive 15 minutes, Mitchell earned the victory.
Mitchell opened the fight with pressure but quickly ate several counter shots. Nurmagomedov was sharp from the first bell, timing his strikes on the outside effortlessly. Mitchell closed into the clinch and started wrestling from the body lock, briefly grounding
his opponent but unable to keep him down for long. Mitchell kept the clinch for a while but couldn’t improve position.
On the break, Magomedov cracked him with a right hand. Mitchell continued to press, landed a nice combination, then walked into a huge knee that floored him! “Thug Nasty” used the guard to recover and eventually regained his feet, but he found very little success in the opening frame overall.
It was not an optimal start to his Bantamweight career.
Mitchell knew it too, starting round two with an immediately double leg along the fence. He was forced to fight off a guillotine, but he dragged the Russian down and started attacking the kimura. The action stalled a bit as Mitchell worked the arm, but this was exactly what Mitchell wanted. When he moved to attack the arm triangle choke, Nurmagomedov kicked off the fence and gained top position himself for a brief moment. After working up to the clinch, Mitchell tried to force a takedown and end up on his back again. He scored another takedown in the final 30 seconds, likely evening up the scorecards.
Both men were exhausted with five minutes remaining.
Mitchell sprinted into the clinch to start the final frame. Nurmagomedov wrapped up his neck and reversed his way into top position with a nasty guillotine attempt. He landed a reversal of his own when Nurmagomedov tried to take his back soon afterward. The action slowed to a crawl. With a minute remaining, Mitchell fully took the back. The bout finished in that position, a clear Mitchell round.
Ultimately, “Thug Nasty” got the job done here even if it wasn’t the most impressive victory. He weathered the early storm and wore Nurmagomedov down, surviving some difficult positions even down the stretch. A win’s a win, but I don’t think we’re particularly close to see Mitchell vs. Merab Dvalishvili after that one.
Result: Mitchell defeats Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision
For complete UFC Abu Dhabi results and play-by-play, click here.
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