Bryce Mitchell will defend his top 15 ranking in May.
MMA Mania confirmed with multiple sources that the UFC is targeting a matchup between No. 11 ranked featherweight Mitchell and Jonathan Pearce on May 6 at UFC 288. There is no location for the event at the moment. Instagram page BRKRZ was the first to report the news.
Mitchell would confirm the news on his own Instagram.
Mitchell (15-1) is coming off his first professional loss at UFC 282 last December when he was beaten up and then submitted by Ilia Topuria. (Watch highlights! Mitchell was very emotional after the fight l and even contemplated retirement.
Prior to his loss to Topuria, ‘Thug Nasty’ was riding a 15-fight winning steak, with six of the wins coming in the octagon against names such as Edson Barboza, Andre Fili, and Charles Rosa.
Pearce (14-4) has been on an absolute roll since losing his UFC debut in 2019 against Joe Lauzon. ‘JSP’ is coming off a beat down of Darren Elkins, capping off his 2022, where he went 3-0.
Pearce will crack the top 15 featherweight rankings with a win over Mitchell.
Bryce Mitchell vs. Jonathan Pearce is going down at #UFC288 on May 6.
First reported by BRKRZ pic.twitter.com/iMSKINBHKo
— MMA mania (@mmamania) February 12, 2023
So far, UFC 288 only has three other fights reported.
- Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush
- Johnny Muñoz Jr. vs. Daniel Santos
- Khaos Williams vs. Ronaldo Bedoya