In a March 2, 2022 interview before UFC 272 during media day at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, UFC undefeated featherweight, Bryce Mitchell, shares his political views as reporters ask questions about topics other than fighting.
But the chief penalty is to be governed by someone worse if a man will not himself hold office and rule.
~ Plato, The Republic Book 1, 347-C
Transcript
Reporter: As you kind of get the spotlight growing out of you, people have been talking a lot about your political views and how you feel about things. So I just wonder, like do you welcome that, the opportunity to talk about the things you believe in, or do you feel like, man I got to maybe it not start talking, maybe I need to stop talking about that stuff and just focus on fighting.
Bryce Mitchell: No, I want to talk about things that I think are political and I want to do it in a respectful manner, not to make other people think that I think that they’re stupid. I want to share my beliefs and hear other people’s beliefs and maybe their beliefs can sway mine a little bit, a maybe not. Maybe I can out debate them, you know. And a, because this fight s*** is so minuscule in life. Like you think, yes it’s, it’s great for me and a small circle of people that I can help and, but this s*** is so minuscule. You have people out there being oppressed by governments. You have, s***, we fall into that category, believe it or not. If you want me to get real political, you know the Federal Reserve is a corrupt institution. There I went out and said it, you know. These people control our dollar, brother, and we didn’t vote for them. Think about it. You know, you got 13 board members voting on the value of the dollar. Did we vote for that, no, its corrupted, so for me to actually be able to talk about something greater than fighting is, is more purposeful than anything I could talk about related to fighting, and, yes I’m grateful to be able to do that, and a lot of people say, “oh you’re just a, a, they say shut up and fight. You know what I mean. You know what, if you don’t want to hear that s*** turn off the TV and watch the fight. You don’t got to watch my interviews. Then turn them off then if, if. Instead of telling me to shut up, why don’t you just stop listening, you know, cause there’s a lot of people that agree with what I’m saying about some of my political views and I’m happy to talk about them and debate about them.
There was some wise dude way back in the day, either Socrates or Plato or Hippocrates or somebody, but he said if you do not partake in your government you will be ruled by people who are stupider than you. And that’s what he said. Now it was give or take a couple of words
Reporter: It’s paraphrased?
Bryce Mitchell: Its paraphrased, but if we the people do not choose and are not active in conversations about what’s going on in our government, well then these idiots are going to control everything we do and we won’t have a say in it. So yeah, I’m political, because these people control me, and then you want to tell me that I can’t talk and I have to shut up and fight and I can’t talk about, no, I’m controlled completely by the government. I’m controlled completely by the value of the dollar because I get paid in dollars, okay. I don’t get paid in pure gold, I get paid in dollars and so I have a say about, in my opinion, I have a say about political issues so.
What’s up brother?
Reporter: What’s up man? A lot of people think politics should stay out of sport, but considering you’re not one of those people, I just wanted to get your thoughts on the whole Russia and Ukraine situation.
Bryce Mitchell: You know, here’s my first thought, cuz I’m not going nowhere to fight none of these words for these politicians. I’m staying at home and when the war comes to Arkansas I will dig my boots in the ground and I will die for everything I love and I will not retreat. If this countries invaded and everybody’s saying, ‘we got to, we got to evacuate, we got to leave, we got to, I will not. I will dig my boots in the Arkansas soil and I will fight for the people that I love, for the land that I love, and a way of life that I love. But I’m not going overseas to fight. I don’t know what’s going on to be honest, brother. I really don’t. There’s so much stuff and I don’t think nobody knows what’s going on fully. There’s been so much political corruption in that area. You got Biden and his son making a s*** ton of money off of and using our tax dollars to bribe their people, that’s treasonous in my opinion. So you got Hunter [Joe] Biden and his son using our tax dollars. Hey, if if Ukrainian government if you don’t do this we’re taking your tax dollars. He shouldn’t be giving our tax dollars to that country anyway. We got veterans out here sleeping on the street, and you’re going to give our freaking tax dollars to the Ukrainians and, my brother, I don’t know what’s going on over there, but I’m not going over there fighting, and God bless anybody who’s over there fighting and I hope that this s*** just get solved, and I don’t like war, you know what I mean. I don’t want people dying and all that stuff. I don’t want to be, but I don’t know what’s going on. There’s so much stuff that I think, it’s corrupted, we just don’t know what’s truly going on over there and I just, I pray all those people are safe, and I don’t want none of that, you know I have no control over that s*** and I don’t really know enough to talk about it too much, but thank you for asking. Thank you very much.
Reporter: Bryce, you mentioned at the beginning of your time with us, thank you for taking time out of your day, staying humble. You’re on the main card, putting music together, your here with the press conference. you got the camouflage shorts coming. How do you stay humble with all this attention and climbing up the ladder?
Bryce Mitchell: I would say my relationship with God has just been really important in my life and I felt more spiritual in the last year of my life than I ever have and it’s just an amazing feeling, so all the good stuff that you see coming out of me is a product of me letting God shine through me.
Reporter: Thank you, Sir. Good luck Saturday.
Bryce Mitchell: Thank you, my brother.
