5 possible opponents for Bryce Mitchell following his win at UFC 272

#4. Bryce Mitchell vs. Calvin Kattar

Calvin Kattar is one of the most dangerous strikers in the world at featherweight

Another high-risk, high-reward bout for Bryce Mitchell would see him face off against Calvin Kattar, who is currently ranked No.5 in the UFC’s featherweight division. In this instance, there’s no doubt that ‘Thug Nasty’ would be taking a substantial step up in competition.

Kattar’s only recent losses have come to Max Holloway and Zabit Magomedsharipov. Along the way, he’s picked up impressive wins over the likes of Dan Ige, Ricardo Lamas and, most recently, Giga Chikadze.

‘The Boston Finisher’ not only carries serious knockout power in his hands, but he’s also one of the better boxers in the division. His sense of timing, excellent footwork and deep gas tank means it’s hard to count him out of any fight.

Kattar is also remarkably durable, as he took an insane amount of punishment against Holloway and survived. In fact, he’s never been stopped by strikes during his 28-fight career.

However, Mitchell is unlikely to look to outstrike him. Instead, he’d look to drag him to the ground and either outwork him for a decision or submit him and both options could be possible.

Interestingly, Kattar has not really fought a true grappler since his loss to Magomedsharipov. While the Dagestani outworked him on the feet too, the threat of the takedown largely allowed that to happen.

This would definitely be a difficult fight for ‘Thug Nasty’, but if he could ground Kattar, it’d be a winnable bout too.

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#3. Bryce Mitchell vs. Yair Rodriguez

A fight between Yair Rodriguez and Bryce Mitchell could produce some real fireworks

While it’s arguable that his current No.3 ranking is perhaps inflated due to his knockout win over Chan Sung Jung in 2018, it’s safe to say that Yair Rodriguez is one of the best featherweights in the UFC.

‘El Pantera’ not only possesses a flashy striking attack, but his fundamentals are also excellent. He’s also a very underrated grappler with solid takedowns and takedown defense.

However, his loss to Frankie Edgar in 2017 showed that he can be outworked by a fighter who possesses a tight ground game. This that might make him a beatable opponent for a prospect like Bryce Mitchell.

We saw Mitchell wear down another flashy striker in Edson Barboza by using his excellent ground skills this weekend. Could ‘Thug Nasty’ do the same to Rodriguez? If he could take ‘El Pantera’ to the ground early, then it’d definitely be possible.

This fight would obviously be a big step up for Mitchell. If he could beat Rodriguez, then he’d be very close to a title fight – meaning that it’d be well worth him pursuing if possible.