"Please keep me alive" - Bryce Mitchell gets brutally honest about gruelling UFC Abu Dhabi fight

Bryce Mitchell had to claw through one of the most punishing fights of his career after making his bantamweight debut against Said Nurmagomedov at UFC Abu Dhabi. Dropped hard by a knee in the opening round, the Arkansas native looked completely rattled but managed to survive.

Mitchell leaned heavily on his grappling in the later rounds, staying active enough to prevent resets while inching toward back control. He secured a strong finish to the fight with back time in the final minute, which likely sealed the unanimous decision.

The American fighter admitted after the fight that he was hurting all over and even prayed for survival mid-fight. He said he could barely remember parts of the first round and felt like he was in a fight that could break something deep inside.

Speaking at the UFC Abu Dhabi post-fight press conference, he said:

"I mean, I didn't expect to be in that much pain to be honest, but yeah, I knew it was going to be hard, but I didn't think it was going to be that hard. I'll be honest, he's tougher than I thought. Like everything on my body hurts, like everything. I'll know more tomorrow, but yeah, just kind of like everywhere hurts."

He added:

"Yeah, he hurt me real bad in the first round. Like I said, I don't even remember like half of the first round... And I wish it would have been more exciting for the fans, but I was just fighting for my life. Like, I really was praying during a fight like Jesus just please keep me alive because the fight felt like death. I remember fighting for air. I remember getting hit and seeing lights, and I remember like coaches telling me between rounds like you can do this, you can do this just like dig."

Check out Bryce Mitchell's comments below:

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Bryce Mitchell open to Umar Nurmagomedov clash after gutsy win in Abu Dhabi

Bryce Mitchell wants to keep testing himself at bantamweight after a grueling win over Said Nurmagomedov.

Despite walking away with the win, Mitchell admitted the damage left him physically drained. When asked about facing Umar Nurmagomedov next at the post-fight press conference, Mitchell welcomed the idea without hesitation. He said:

"I think that would be a pretty damn good fight. Hell, why not? I already fought one of them, let's just fight all the Nurmagomedovs that there [are]."