UFC video cuts out Bryce Mitchell's post-fight prayer after rant on Satan, Hawaii wildfires
Featherweight holds up Bible, warns 'Satan is taking over this Earth'
Following his first career loss last December, Christian UFC fighter Bryce Mitchell bounced back for a victory over top featherweight contender Dan Ige at the UFC Vegas 79 event Saturday night in an appearance that began with Mitchell holding up a Bible in the octagon.
As Mitchell, 29, was introduced to the crowd at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, the fighter known as "Thug Nasty" held a Bible over his head and screamed "Freedom!" over the announcer.
new mma meme dropped pic.twitter.com/U5vDswfLe8
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After being later declared the winner following a grappling-heavy bout, Mitchell once again brought the Bible into the octagon for a post-fight interview.
When commentator Michael Bisping asked Mitchell how he felt about his win over Ige, he responded, "He's the hardest hitter I've ever fought. I didn't expect him to be so fast and move so well."
"I brought this Bible in here tonight because I do believe Satan is taking over this Earth, and something specifically I'm talking about is these fires in Hawaii."
Bryce Mitchell wins a close fight, donates ,000 to Hawaii, says he thinks Satan is taking over the Earth & says he doesn’t think the fires were natural pic.twitter.com/qLqZbO2koO
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"I know they lost friends, they lost their homes, they lost their children, and I love these people with all my heart," he added as he and Ige, who is Hawaiian, had their arms over each other's shoulders.
"We have to show Satan that he can't do nothing through the power of Christ when we come together," said Mitchell.
When Bisping tried to pivot to questions about the fight, Mitchell continued, "These fires in Hawaii, I don't believe they were natural, I believe they were man-made. They're trying to take the land from the natives, and I want Dan Ige, a native Hawaiian, to lead this world in prayer against the power of Satan."
As Bisping congratulated both fighters, Mitchell asked him if he would "please let Dan [Ige] pray." Bisping appeared momentarily flustered before turning and announcing Mitchell as the fight's winner.
Mitchell was then seen asking Ige to join him in prayer, and the two kneeled on the mat, though the prayer itself was inaudible.
Following the fight, UFC founder Dana White was asked his reaction to Mitchell bringing his Bible into "the cage."
After initially saying he had "no reaction," White added, "There's no muzzles here. ... Whoever you are, whatever you believe, whatever you think, ... this is one of those places where you say what you feel, say what you want, and it's all good with me."
It's unclear why Bisping, a former champion and color commentator for the UFC, declined Mitchell's request.
The video of the post-fight interview on the official UFC YouTube channel cuts out just as Mitchell begins to kneel down in prayer.
The Christian Post reached out to UFC for comment Wednesday. This story will be updated if any response is received.
Raised in Cabot, Arkansas, Mitchell earned a bachelor's degree in economics before launching his MMA career. In addition to battling inside the octagon, Mitchell is also an aspiring rapper — hence the "Thug Nasty" moniker — and a cattle farmer.
Before Saturday's fight, Mitchell — who was raised in a Christian home and has stirred controversy with his views on gravity and flat Earth — revealed in an interview with UFC commentator Brendan Fitzgerald that he recently rediscovered his faith following an encounter with "a person who was possessed by demons."
"I won't get too specific, but I was arguing with the possessed person, and it's very clear when somebody's possessed," Mitchell said, recalling how this person was talking and "whispering to a wall" when Mitchell suddenly felt a "dark presence."
"I felt my stomach drop and I felt something I'd never felt before, and I knew that my sin had led me to this path, and that there was no way out," he said. "I'd invited this person into my home, and they were destroying it, and they were possessed, and I was witnessing a full-blown possession, something that I never believed in."
It was at that point, said Mitchell, that his Christian upbringing kicked in.
"I instantly reverted back to my roots. I was raised by my mother who always taught me the word of Jesus, the word of Jesus, the power of Jesus, and uh, so in that moment, the first thing that came to mind is the word of Jesus, and I said, 'In the name of Jesus Christ, I command all evil to leave,'" he said.
"And it was just like that, the possessed person was gone, they walked right out the door," Mitchell added. "This is what happened; before that was about two hours of arguing, and my stuff's getting broken, and my house was getting trashed, and I spoke the name of Jesus, and instantly this demon was gone.
"And from that day, I have dedicated my life to Jesus. I owe him everything."
Ian M. Giatti is a reporter for The Christian Post and the author of BACKWARDS DAD: a children's book for grownups. He can be reached at: ian.giatti@christianpost.com.
