“If I was to fight myself from five years ago, five years ago me wouldn’t have a chance,” said Mitchell when asked about his continued progress ahead of Saturday’s clash with Topuria.
Perhaps the most highly anticipated bout on this weekend’s fight card, the main card opener is actually a replacement booking, as Mitchell was initially slated to face another rising star in the 145-pound weight class, Movsar Evloev, in early November.
But a couple weeks prior to the contest, the undefeated Russian was forced to withdraw due to an unspecified injury, resulting in Mitchell’s return date getting pushed back five weeks and Topuria being penciled in across from him on the bout sheet.
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“It gave me a lot more time to keep training and heal up stuff that was hurting,” Mitchell said of the change in opponents and delay in his return. “It gave me time to heal and them come back, train smarter, and not get hurt for this fight camp.”
While he’s had the opportunity to come into the fight without the lingering pains that were present heading into the Evloev contest, the assignment is no less daunting.
Topuria is another ascending talent in the featherweight division — a perfect 12-0 for his career, with his last four victories coming inside the Octagon.
One of several Georgian fighters scaling the ranks in their respective weight classes at the moment, “El Matador” is unafraid to speak his mind or get into verbal sparring matches, as he did with Paddy Pimblett, who competes in the UFC 282 co-main event, earlier this year.
