Bryce Mitchell was forced to withdraw from UFC 288 after being seen on an Embedded programme with odd skin imperfections with an injury update now out
MMA journalists have confirmed the news.
The UFC 288 match between Bryce Mitchell and Movsar Evloev appeared to be over after it was revealed that he had weird skin imperfections during an Embedded session.
Bryce Mitchell injury update today as he withdraws from UFC 288 and who will replace him
It was seen that “Thug Nasty” had a noticeable purple skin lesion above his left shoulder and on his arm. The featherweight was removed from the competition and replaced by Diego Lopes, according to ESPN Deportes MMA journalist Carlos Contreras Legaspi and the pictures were obviously causing concern. He wrote: “According to sources, Brazilian Diego Lopes will take Bryce Mitchell’s place in his next #UFC288 bout against Movsar Evolev with a five-day notice.”
Bryce Mitchell was officially removed from UFC 288 today for undisclosed reasons and it was later revealed on Twitter by Dana White that Mitchell injured his back in training.
What is up with Bryce Mitchell’s shoulder?😳👀
(via #UFC288 Embedded Epi. 1)#UFC288 #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/wPd1f0B9zd
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) May 1, 2023
Breaking: Bryce Mitchell is out of his #UFC288 fight against Movsar Evolev with an undisclosed injury, sources tell @CCLegaspi.
Diego Lopes will replace Mitchell on five days notice. pic.twitter.com/MsMxjEfU10
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 2, 2023
The 28-year-old was seeking redemption after Ilia Topuria defeated him at UFC 282 in December, handing him his first defeat in his professional career. He was originally supposed to fight Jonathan Pierce, but due to an injury, he had to withdraw, and Evloev was brought in to fill the void.
‘Thug Nasty’ vs. Pearce’s rematch against the winner of Evloev vs. Lopes is still up in the air, so it’s unclear if the UFC intends to book him in that matchup if they both heal from their injuries.
What is the MMA record of Bryce Mitchell?
Since making his promotional debut on The Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated finale in 2018, Bryce Mitchell has emerged as one of the most intriguing prospects in the UFC featherweight division.
Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, “Thug Nasty” has a 15-1 MMA record with 9 submission victories. He lost to Ilia Topuria at UFC 282, but despite that, he is still the No. 11 ranked featherweight in the division right now.
The 28-year-old has a lot of talent and has already achieved major victories against opponents like Edson Barboza, Bobby Moffett, and Andre Fili.
How successful is the last-minute substitution for Bryce Mitchell?
The addition of Diego Lopes, who will be making his Octagon debut, has abruptly altered the UFC 288 roster. Lopes has a commendable fighting history. He has previously held titles in a number of organisations, including Lux Fight League, Xtreme Fighters Latino, and Jasaji Fighting League, even though he did not advance in the 2021 Dana White Contender Series.
Lopes has a successful career record of 20-5 and has defeated renowned UFC veterans including Masio Fullen, Marco Beltran, and Rony Mariano Bezerra. At the age of 28, Lopes founded the Brazilian Warriors squad and has established himself as a formidable combatant.
The former featherweight champion of the Lux Fight League has won 11 fights by submission, displaying his exceptional cageside grappling abilities. At Fury FC 57 in early 2022, Lopes’ most recent performance was a third-round triumph over Kenneth Glenn. The triumph followed a unanimous decision title loss to Nate Richardson, demonstrating Diego Lopes’ capacity to recover from setbacks and excel in the sport.