Brazilian featherweight Jean Silva revealed he spent two months specifically training the ninja choke that led to his victory over Bryce Mitchell at UFC 314 in Miami.
“We trained this because we needed to have this submission with Bryce Mitchell,” Silva told Ariel Helwani in an interview. “I wanted to show that all of my skills are above all of their levels. This is exactly the way I wanted this submission to be.”
The meticulous preparation paid dividends as Silva forced Mitchell to tap at 3:52 of the second round, continuing his impressive four-fight winning streak. The submission came after Silva floored Mitchell with a perfectly timed uppercut, leading to a desperate takedown attempt from the Arkansas native.
The bout featured significant tension from the opening bell, with Silva confidently backing toward the fence and mockingly waving Mitchell forward. Though Mitchell secured an early takedown, Silva immediately threatened with a guillotine choke that nearly ended the contest in the first round.
Round two saw Silva pressing forward with hands low, looking to counter. After Mitchell’s twelfth takedown attempt of the match, Silva smoothly transitioned from a guillotine to the ninja choke that secured the victory.
Statistics highlight the effectiveness of Silva’s game plan: Mitchell attempted a dozen takedowns over nearly nine minutes but succeeded on just one. Unable to implement his grappling game or find rhythm on the feet, Mitchell has now lost three of his last five UFC appearances.
The victory further establishes Silva’s FightingNerds team as a formidable presence across multiple weight divisions. His record now stands at an impressive 15-2, with previous victories over notable opponents including Charles Jourdain, Drew Dober, and Melsik Baghdasaryan.
UFC President Dana White commended Mitchell despite the loss: “I’ll tell you what I’ll say about Bryce Mitchell, you know what happened and, you know, he’s a grown man, he stood his ground, came out and faced the media several times, came in here and fought and, you know, his, I’m sure a lot of moments he’s had leading up to this, including tonight in the cage, he felt like his back was against the wall and stood up like a man and he fought and did his thing.”
