Controversial Christian UFC fighter Bryce Mitchell says opponent Jean Silva is 'possessed by a legion of demons'

UFC featherweight Bryce Mitchell believes he is fighting an opponent who is possessed.

Mitchell became a fan favorite with impressive wrestling and jiujitsu skills that saw him jump out to a 15-0 record and shoot up the UFC rankings.

Furthermore, Mitchell gained more notoriety for his strong support of Christian values and his America-first mentality. In May 2024, Mitchell made headlines when he said he wanted to homeschool his children to prevent them from becoming "gay" or "communist."

Mitchell has had a rough start to 2025, though, after he received a plethora of criticism over comments he made about Adolf Hitler on his podcast "ArkanSanity."

UFC President Dana White soon disavowed Mitchell's remarks — but did not fire him — and called the fighter "dumb" and "ignorant."

'Even the demons believe in God.'

At the beginning of March, Mitchell had a viral exchange of words at a press conference for UFC 314. There, his opponent Jean Silva rallied the crowd against Mitchell, starting, "F*** Bryce Mitchell," chants and even barking at him.

Mitchell responded by saying Silva was "barking up the wrong tree, motherf***er," which turned the crowd's boos into raucous cheers.

Silva also brought a globe to the press conference to taunt Mitchell about his apparent belief that the Earth is flat.

"Oh, so now you're a scientist?" Mitchell asked in response.

The two then had a fiery exchange about religion and belief.

"You have 'lord' on your chest, I have the Lord within my heart," Mitchell said, referring to Silva's tattoo, which seemingly signals the Brazilian is of the Catholic faith.

"Calm down," Silva replied. "Everyone here believes in God, right?"

Mitchell retorted, "Even the demons believe in God, but do you live by the word?"

'I'm not just fighting a man.'

On Monday, Full Send MMA posted a video of Mitchell doubling down on his assertion that Silva may be demonic.

"I need all my Christian warriors to pray for me that I will have peaceful sleep," Mitchell began. "Every single night since the day before the press conference, I have had demonic dreams. Legions of demons are attacking me every single time I sleep, not one time have I seen any peaceful sleep since that day."

Mitchell continued, "These demons surround me, and they try to fight me and provoke me to anger and then the dream will switch, and then they'll send beautiful women, and they are trying to get me to lust and cheat on my wife. ... I'm not just fighting a man on April 12, I'm fighting a man possessed by a legion of demons."

Silva responded just a few hours later, stating on his X page that Mitchell's comments were made out of fear.

"Bryce, two things, these are not demons, it's just you being afraid to face me and second about the beautiful women you have a hormone called testosterone and you probably have problems with it. Just be ready for April 12th, because I will be."

The conflict between the featherweights certainly mirrors the debates between light heavyweight fighters Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira last summer.

Prochazka, a Catholic from the Czech Republic, said that former champion Pereira was using Brazilian shamans, spiritual forces, and rituals to win fights. Unfortunately for the Czech, Pereira's alleged use of spirits propelled him to two wins against Prochazka.

However, perhaps Pereira's magical forces have since run dry, as the Brazilian recently lost to Russia's Magomed Ankalaev.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!