Mitchell in self-imposed 'concussion protocol' after KO loss
UFC featherweight Bryce Mitchell is ensuring he takes time to recover after suffering one of the most devastating knockout losses in recent history.
Mitchell, who fell to Josh Emmett in the first round of their UFC 296 bout on Dec. 16, said earlier this week that he has entered a self-imposed "concussion protocol" and won't spar for roughly six months.
"I am my own medical physician, and I've been consulting myself daily," Mitchell told ESPN's Brett Okamoto. "I put myself on a custom training program and a custom recovery program. I'm also on my own concussion protocol. ... I'm consulting with my coaches, too. We're basically just saying don't spar for about six months or something."
Emmett's victory was theScore's 2023 Knockout of the Year due to the devastating nature of the right-hand punch that immediately rendered Mitchell unconscious. Mitchell went into convulsions, but he regained consciousness moments later and was helped out of the cage.
Mitchell said he doesn't plan to start another training camp until midway through 2024, with the hope of returning to the Octagon in the second half of the year.
"The good thing is I don't have to rush into it," said Mitchell, who is building a new house and is also expecting his first child in a few months. "Maybe four months from now, I can maybe spar. See how it feels. And then begin a sparring (regimen) for a couple more months, and then get into talks of having a fight."
Mitchell accepted the fight with Emmett on 10 days' notice after Giga Chikadze fell off the card. The 29-year-old said he would take another fight on short notice if the UFC gave him a raise.
After being on the wrong end of such a violent knockout, Mitchell hopes to see a change in protocol regarding how fighters are treated after being knocked out. "Thug Nasty" said he believes medical staff should take those fighters out of the cage more quickly.
"I would much rather them to just escort me out of there as soon as I'm up on my feet - and I mean up under the armpits - and not even talk to me or nothing," Mitchell said. "Just get me out of there as quickly as possible. ...
"Even though I was talking and saying, 'Oh, I'm fine' and stuff, they did escort me out eventually. But I don't even think they should talk to me in that case, because I was probably arguing with them, telling them, 'Oh, I'm fine, I can walk.' I don't even know what I was saying. ... Fighters, they could stumble around and fall and hurt their head even worse."