Bryce Mitchell voices frustration with how medical staff handled him in the Octagon after KO loss to Josh Emmett

Bryce Mitchell isn’t happy with how he was handled after he was knocked out by Josh Emmett at UFC 296.

Mitchell stepped up on less than 10 days’ notice to face Emmett in a pivotal fight for the featherweight division. Although Mitchell was stepping up on short notice, he was the betting favorite to defeat the heavy-handed KO artist.

Early in the first round, Josh Emmett landed a massive overhand right that knocked Bryce Mitchell out cold. He was out for quite some time and when he finally came to it, he was being held up by people, which caused Joe Rogan to freak saying he needs to be on a stool.

After having time to watch the fight and the aftermath, Bryce Mitchell admits he is frustrated that he was kept in the Octagon for so long, and instead should have been rushed backstage.

“When a fighter gets knocked out that bad, I was watching the fight back for film study, when I saw how bad the knockout was, I watched the whole thing. I watched what they did with me afterward and I was talking afterward and I was shaking hands and stumbling around,” Bryce Mitchell said to ESPN. “Dude, they need to immediately escort me out of there. I really do think that needs to be protocol, but because from my standpoint, I can’t remember anything. I would much rather, say I get knocked out again, I’d much rather them escort me out of there as soon as I’m up on my feet, and I mean up under the armpits, and not even talk to me or anything. Just get me out of there as quickly as possible…

“They did escort me out eventually, but I don’t even think they should even talk to me in that cage because I was probably arguing with them telling them I’m fine and can walk, I don’t even know what I was saying. They need to get me out of the cage. I’m glad that they did, and that is how they need to do it, as fighters they can stumble and fall and hurt their head even worse,” Mitchell continued.

Bryce Mitchell certainly raises a fair point as a knocked-out fighter, as soon as they come back should be helped out of the Octagon so they can get immediate attention. He also doesn’t like how he was able to stand and instead, should have been sitting down so he didn’t fall.

With the loss to Josh Emmett at UFC 296, Bryce Mitchell fell to 16-2 as a pro and is now 1-2 in his last three fights.