After enduring 19 surgeries and nearly two years away from competition, UFC veteran Ryan Hall is eyeing a high-profile return against Bryce Mitchell. “Obviously a guy like Bryce is very tough and it would be neat to compete against someone that, if you do well, puts you right back in the mix of things. I bring him up only because he’s someone that I appreciate, respect, and it would be a very tough and interesting [fight],” Hall revealed in a recent interview.
The Long Road Back
Hall’s journey back to the Octagon has been marked by an unprecedented series of medical challenges. “[I] got fallen on, tore my ACL, had to fix [the] plantar plate that was torn under my foot. [I] got fallen on again, had to have a tight rope surgery, the one like Pat Mahomes [had]. The ACL got infected and had to have a couple emergency septic arthritis [procedures]. Then with the tight rope, I was actually allergic to the hardware that they put in me somehow, so it had to be redone,” Hall explained, detailing the cascade of surgeries that have kept him sidelined.
Return Timeline and Weight Class Decision
The grappling specialist is targeting a return in March or April 2024, with an intriguing twist to his comeback plans. “I’ll be looking forward to finishing up my rehab on my shoulder over the next two months or so and then being able to meaningfully get into training,” he explained.
Adding another layer of intrigue to his potential return, Hall is considering a drop to bantamweight. “I can’t be sure if I’m going to fight at 135 or 145 pounds, but it’ll be one or the other. It kind of depends on what’s out there because I’ve always been a 135-pound fighter who fought at 45 and 55. I just never knew if people would accept fights, so I didn’t want to hang around at the lower weight all the time.”
Learning from the Topuria Loss
Hall’s last appearance in the Octagon came against current featherweight champion Ilia Topuria. That fight, which ended in his first UFC defeat, was compromised by injuries: “[Topuria] is very powerful and very dangerous. I remember all of the karate bounce and movement was gone because of the tears on my feet and my hip. I remember ducking out of the way of punches and going, ‘Whoa, this is way more disconcerting than usual,’ because stuff that you’re used to making miss by a little more was barely getting out of the way.”
While acknowledging Topuria’s success (“He’s done great and he clearly deserves to be where he is”), Hall expressed regret about his condition entering that fight: “I went into that fight with so many injuries. I had two surgeries in camp, got fallen on. I wish the version of me that showed up to fight Darren Elkins had been able to walk into that ring.”
Realistic Expectations
Despite his interest in facing Mitchell, Hall remains pragmatic about his return after such a lengthy absence. “I don’t know if it’s reasonable for me. I’ll actually have to ask Sean Shelby and see what he says. I don’t know what’s reasonable for me to expect in terms of opponents coming back.”
