"Soft feelings" - Bryce Mitchell slams "rigged" decision in Ciryl Gane vs. Josh Hokit UFC 334 fight
Bryce Mitchell has sounded off on the judges' verdict in the heavyweight title tilt between Josh Hokit and Ciryl Gane at UFC 334.
Josh Hokit suffered the first loss of his professional mixed martial arts career. It came in the headlining matchup of the UFC 334 event at Madison Square Garden.
The American fighter was beaten by way of unanimous decision by reigning UFC heavyweight kingpin Ciryl Gane. Following the high-profile fight that was held in New York City, Hokit's compatriot Bryce Mitchell has lent him support.
Mitchell directed words of praise toward Hokit and slammed the Octagon-side judges' scoring of the fight. He seemingly believes Hokit's performance was more than enough to have bagged him the victory against Gane.
One ought to note that the judges -- Adrian Castro, Sal D'Amato, and Chris Lee -- scored the fight 48-47 each for France's Gane.
Bryce Mitchell believes Josh Hokit earned the heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane at UFC 334
UFC featherweight Bryce Mitchell posted a video to his official Instagram page, wherein he appeared to slam the judges and the system for supposedly "rigging" the fight's outcome.
An excerpt from Mitchell's written statement in the post read, "Hokit is the champ and they rigged the decision against him cause he hurts their soft feelings."
The consensus is that Hokit's history of making controversial remarks -- with many fans even accusing him of being racist and bigoted -- has hurt more than a few members of the MMA community and beyond. Mitchell, on his part, insinuated that Hokit hurting certain people's feelings has caused him to be at odds with those at the helm of the MMA industry, including those judging the fights.
Mitchell then suggested that he also likes Gane, congratulating him on a great fight. He admitted being quite hyped for the matchup.
Additionally, "Thug Nasty" criticized UFC fighter-turned-commentator Daniel "DC" Cormier for his commentary work in regard to Gane vs. Hokit. He implied that he doesn't want to hear Cormier commentating, accusing the latter of hating Hokit and being jealous and wanting him (Hokit) to lose.
Mitchell seemingly underlined that those were his honest thoughts, further noting that Gane ought to have had a point deducted for the eye poke he landed against Hokit.
Bryce Mitchell talks forward aggression, lauds Josh Hokit
As of this time, it remains unclear as to whom Josh Hokit would fight next. Meanwhile, some believe Ciryl Gane could clash against rival Alexander Volkov the next time he sets foot inside the Octagon, or perhaps against the winner of next month's fight between Alex Pereira and Sergei Pavlovich.
Well, Bryce Mitchell, citing Hokit's forward aggression, stated, "Josh Hokit won that fight. I don't care what nobody says. The forward aggression wins the fights. And maybe Gane landed a little bit more punches, especially in the fifth round. But I gave Hokit (rounds) one through four."
Mitchell opined that he'd have also agreed with the scorecards if rounds two, three, and four were scored in Hokit's favor. He added, "That was a clear victory."
Furthermore, the BJJ artist and MMA combatant heaped praise on Hokit. He, affirming that he's uninterested in watching heavyweight matchups without Hokit in them, stated, "Hokit is the most exciting heavyweight there has ever been."
Watch Bryce Mitchell give his assessment of the Ciryl Gane vs. Josh Hokit result below:
