In a stunning display of skill and persistence, Jean Silva showed the world he’s a force to be reckoned with, finishing Bryce Mitchell by submission at UFC 314.
Mitchell came out strong, landing an early uppercut that got Silva’s attention. But Silva was ready for war. He quickly closed the distance, initiating a grapple. Mitchell reversed the position and secured a takedown, briefly taking control. Still, Silva kept his composure, worked his way back up, and nearly locked in a choke before the first round came to a close.
In the second round, Silva turned up the pressure. Mitchell stayed on the back foot as Silva stalked him, eventually landing a spinning backfist that cracked through Mitchell’s defenses. Silva kept pushing forward and soon found his moment, locking in a tight ninja choke that forced Mitchell to tap. The win shocked many, but Silva embraced the moment, declaring himself “The Lord.”
“Now, I’m pretty sure I’m the people’s hero,” Silva said at the post-fight news conference. “If they needed one, Jean ‘The Lord’ Silva is here.”
“Listen, me winning by submission? Whoever bet on me, it’s time to share,” he joked. “Put it in my pocket. I want to make some money, too. You bet on me? … I really didn’t know that. People really think I’m not good at jiu-jitsu or grappling. It’s crazy—because I’m Brazilian.”
On the other side, Mitchell took the loss hard. Confident going into the bout, he had expected to win. But after coming to terms with the defeat, he released a video on Instagram thanking fans for their support.
“I want to thank everybody for their support and let y’all know I’m doing just fine,” Mitchell said. “Thank God, he protected me. I didn’t lose my teeth. I don’t got no broken bones. So I feel good about that. I fought as hard as I possibly could. I couldn’t have fought any harder. I could have fought smarter.
“I’m going to go make some adjustments, but he put me to sleep. I had nothing left to give. I’m happy about that—knowing that I tried my best. But I’ve got to get better. That’s just the lesson learned here.
“I have never had this much outpouring of support,” he continued. “It’s just crazy. It’s been a whole crazy week, and I can’t even put it into words.
“I really thought that I was going to win the fight—100 percent believed it. I’d never had a fight with that much hype before. Out of nowhere, this fight blew up, and I thought, ‘God’s chosen me to win this fight.’ But that wasn’t the case. I’m just going to keep fighting. That’s all I can do. That’s all we can all do. Anytime you take a loss, just learn from it and keep fighting. That’s what I’m going to do.”
