Josh Emmett has seen the video of him knocking out Bryce Mitchell countless times. However, this impressive finish has recently become popular again.
Earlier this year, Bryce Mitchell became controversial after using his new podcast to express sympathy for Nazi views, defending Adolf Hitler and denying the Holocaust. These statements caused widespread outrage, with UFC CEO Dana White criticizing Mitchell and calling him extremely unintelligent.
Despite his strong disapproval of Mitchell`s views, Dana White stated that he would not punish the fighter. Instead, he suggested that those who dislike Bryce Mitchell would have the satisfaction of seeing him potentially get defeated on television.
This is when Emmett`s knockout of Mitchell at UFC 296, which instantly rendered Mitchell unconscious, went viral again.
“I noticed he was trending, and of course, I see everything he says on podcasts and similar platforms,” Emmett told MMA Fighting. “People keep tagging me saying ‘Josh, you did this to him.’ But I`ve always said, and even recently when I saw Mitchell in Vegas, he has always been respectful to me. I treat people based on how they treat me. He’s been good to me, so I’m good to him.”
“However, I do think that because he has such a large audience, he needs to be more careful about what he says.”
Although he never explicitly apologized for his remarks, Mitchell eventually admitted that Hitler committed “many evil acts” and acknowledged the reality of the Holocaust and its victims.
This partial retraction doesn`t excuse Mitchell`s initial comments, and Emmett understands that his former opponent may never fully escape the consequences of those words, which is why the knockout clip has resurfaced.
Emmett even recalled a fan Q&A from years ago that resurfaced after Mitchell’s podcast controversy.
“It’s quite unbelievable,” Emmett said. “I did a Reddit AMA around six years ago, and someone asked me who in history I would want to fight. I said I’d love to fight Hitler and knock him out. Somehow, the internet found this, connected it all, and it went crazy.”
“The internet truly remembers everything. That`s why the knockout is being shared again. He will never hear the end of it.”
While Emmett disagrees with Mitchell’s January statements, he doesn’t harbor personal animosity towards him because their interactions have been civil. He doesn`t intend to create fake conflict now.
The knockout was likely to be a lasting memory for Mitchell anyway, but its renewed virality makes it impossible to ignore.
If anything, Emmett wishes the UFC would promote it more.
“It’s constant,” Emmett said. “Whenever I post on social media, or they use the GIF, people make edits, and I sympathize with Bryce because I know he sees it. Whenever he posts anything, people tag me. It’s been going on for over a year now. I see posts about it very often.”
“But for some reason, the UFC doesn’t promote that knockout. They show everyone else’s knockouts except for that one. I don’t understand why. The internet is doing the work of making it viral.”
Emmett, who is fighting Lerone Murphy in the main event at UFC Vegas 105 this Saturday, is unsure why the UFC hasn’t highlighted the knockout more, although Mitchell’s dramatic collapse and extended time on the ground might be a factor.
Still, Emmett wishes his knockout would be featured alongside other famous UFC moments, like Max Holloway’s knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300.
“I think they could show the knockout, even him falling,” Emmett said. “Maybe just not the immediate aftermath. When Max knocked out Gaethje, it’s constantly shown on ESPN and everywhere. My knockout was similar, if not more impactful. Just cut out the part where he’s having a seizure.”
