Entering UFC 272, Bryce Mitchell mocked the traditional grappler versus striker label before meeting Edson Barboza. He had come to fight.
Despite those feelings, Michelle acts as well.
Mitchell used his standout ground game against Barboza to his advantage, earning a dominant unanimous decision by scores of 30-25, 30-26 and 30-27 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. With the win, Michelle remains perfect in her overall MMA career.
"I'm a warrior of God," Mitchell told Joe Rogan during his Octagon interview. "I'm not afraid of any man. I live and breathe this game."
Each round was played evenly, with Mitchell securing a takedown and overtaking Barboza with a ground-and-pound.
In Round 1, Barboza (22–11 MMA, 16–11 UFC) had an early breakthrough with a leg kick, but Michel (15–0 MMA, 6–0 UFC) managed to drop Barboza with a straight left hand and quickly followed by. Secured a takedown as Barboza tries to get back on his feet. Mitchell controlled the top spot for the next three minutes, throwing a combination of short punches and elbows to soften Barboza. The round ended with Barboza finally getting on his feet and landing a few body shots and a straight right hand, but it was too late.
Mitchell wasted no time in Round 2, achieving a takedown 20 seconds into the frame. Again, no major effort was made by Michel to escalate the situation, but neither did Barboza try to escape. This allowed Mitchell to continue raining land and pounds on Barboza, who was leaking blood from the top of his left eye.
Barboza needed to convert Round 3 into a standup fight, but couldn't after Mitchell shot for double leg and took a 60 second takedown. The rest of the round was the same as that of Mitchell, who won the biggest of his profession.