UFC athlete Bryce Mitchell recently withdrew from a grappling match against undefeated Israeli fighter Ilay Barzilay at Karate Combat 53, just days before the event. Mitchell cited an upcoming UFC fight as the reason for his withdrawal, stating that he wanted to prioritize his UFC career over the grappling match and that his photo looked feminine.
Bryce Mitchell Pulls Out of Karate Combat Grappling Match and Says He’s Not Gay
Bryce Mitchell, a known Hitler supporter, was set to have a grappling match against an Israeli athlete in Karate Combat. He announced his decision independently before informing Karate Combat, expressing mistrust in how his words might be handled by the organization. In an Instagram post, he said:
“I don’t want my words to get twisted and I don’t quite trust them … Y’all did me dirty. You posted that CGI photo of me. And you did up my ears and you did up my eyebrows and whatever you did to my face. It don’t look like me. You took a photo of me and then you modified it. And then you posted it on the roster. And the photo looks feminine. I’m not gay. Y’all don’t need to be queering me out … Because you tried to queer me out now I’m calling you out on it… I think someone did that with bad intentions, I’m not stupid.”
This withdrawal follows a series of controversies surrounding Mitchell. Earlier this year, he made inflammatory comments on his podcast, describing Adolf Hitler as a “good guy” and denying aspects of the Holocaust. These statements drew widespread backlash from fans, fighters, and UFC President Dana White, who called them “ignorant and dumb.” Despite the criticism, Mitchell apologized but faced no formal disciplinary action from the UFC.
Karate Combat CEO has reportedly mocked Mitchell’s last-minute withdrawal. President Awesome, leader of Karate Combat responded on Instagram stating that Mitchell is entirely correct, however, this comment seems to be made sarcastically. Bryce Mitchell says he looks feminine in the photo and takes offence to this when it is likely an unaltered photo.
