Sherdog’s 2023 Knockout of the Year

The unmistakable crack of a high-speed, flesh-and-bone collision echoed through T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It was followed by the electric oohs and aahs that often accompany the sudden violence of hand-to-hand combat. Then came the hush of a collective apprehension. Bryce Mitchell lay supine, stiff and motionless for several tense moments. Convulsions followed. The unsettling scene became just another piece of the unkind truth associated with mixed martial arts: Sometimes, it can be hard to watch.

Mitchell was the unsuspecting victim of Sherdog’s “Knockout of the Year” at the final Ultimate Fighting Championship event of 2023, a crushing blow from Team Alpha Male’s Josh Emmett having separated him from his senses in the first round of their UFC 296 featherweight showcase on Dec. 16. The perfect punch shook the man who threw it, too.

“When I hit him, I got excited and then I looked over and he’s still down, and it’s hard to celebrate,” Emmett said at the post-fight press conference. “I just wish him nothing but the best. I know he has a baby on the way. He’s building a house. We’re all trying to achieve the same thing. You know, I wish no harm on my opponents, but at the end of the day, if it’s him or I, I’m choosing me every day.”

The encounter did not last long enough for either man to break much of a sweat. Emmett controlled the cage from the center, circled on the perimeter and closed in behind his notoriously heavy hands. He beat Mitchell—a short-notice replacement for Giga Chikadze—to the punch with a devastating right hook that sent “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 27 semifinalist crashing to the canvas. No follow-up shots were required. Mitchell met his end 1:57 into Round 1, appeared to have a seizure before he regained consciousness and needed assistance to exit the Octagon. Concern for his long-term well-being cast something of a pall over the event until UFC CEO Dana White addressed his condition afterward.

“He’s good. He’s healthy. He passed all his tests,” White said. “He was released from the hospital halfway through the show.”

Humble in defeat, Mitchell credited Emmett for his restraint.

“I wanted to let y’all know that I am so happy with Josh Emmett, because right after he knocked me out, he could have followed up with a hammerfist and it probably would have killed me,” he said in a video released on social media. “He didn’t even follow up with anything. He was just happy with his knockout, and he walked away. I’m so gracious for that. I will forever remember that. I love that whole team, that Alpha Male team. I love every single one of you guys. Thank you for not hitting me extra, Josh. It takes more of a man to actually do that.”

It was the seventh first-round finish of Emmett’s 23-fight career. Yet this one was different.

“I didn’t know he was that hurt,” Emmett said. “Then I looked over and I see that, and I’m like, ‘F---, man, I can’t celebrate.’ It’s tough. Imagine what his coaches are looking at. They are seeing him in a very vulnerable spot, and I can’t even imagine his family [and] what they’re thinking.”

Mitchell’s talents are often lost in all the outside noise surrounding him. He suffered a torn scrotum in an infamous power drill accident in 2018 and has since raised eyebrows with his controversial political views and Bible-thumping post-fight interviews. Nevertheless, the 29-year-old Arkansas native has established himself as a Top 10 featherweight in the UFC, with victories over Tyler Diamond, Bobby Moffett, Matt Sayles, Charles Rosa, Andre Fili, Dan Ige and former Ring of Combat champion Edson Barboza. Prior to his ill-fated assignment at UFC 296, Mitchell had never been knocked out. Emmett offered some advice for the days ahead.

“He came back and said he was OK,” he said. “I just hope he takes some time off. He’s a super talented individual and young [and] hungry. He’ll bounce back.”

Mitchell feels fortunate to have walked away unscathed.

“I’m really lucky I didn’t get hurt any worse,” he said. “I was totally out of it. I can’t remember anything actually until they sat me down on a gurney in the back of the ambulance.”