The featherweight matchup pitting Ilia Topuria against Bryce Mitchell that opened the UFC 282 pay-per-view was billed as a clash between two of the top young contenders in the division.
It turned out to be one-way traffic for Topuria, as “The Spaniard” battered his opponent on the feet and denied all but one of his takedowns before submitting Mitchell with an arm-triangle choke 3:10 into Round 2. Mitchell’s attempts at grappling were ineffective and he was outgunned on the feet in suffering his first setback in 16 professional outings.
According to “Thug Nasty,” there were more factors at play at the T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night.