UFC star hoists Bible, prays with opponent after bout, claims Maui fires were 'man-made': 'Satan is taking over this earth'

A Christian UFC star hoisted a Bible, discussed the tragic fires in Maui, and prayed with his opponent after a hard-fought victory over the weekend.

In the UFC Vegas 79 event on Saturday night, Bryce "Thug Nasty" Mitchell appeared in a co-headlining men's featherweight fight against formidable opponent Dan Ige. This was a comeback fight of sorts for Mitchell, who suffered his first career loss last December.

Those in attendance got their money's worth in this fight, as Ige controlled the first round or so before Mitchell seemed to find his rhythm. After three rounds of intense grappling, Mitchell, who turns 29 next week, was declared the winner by unanimous decision.

Mitchell first made national headlines in 2022 after suggesting in an interview that Joe Biden may have committed treason by allegedly "making a s*** ton of money off of and using our tax dollars" in bribery schemes involving his son. "I'm not going nowhere to fight none of these wars for these politicians," Mitchell insisted in response to a question about the hostilities between Russia and Ukraine.

On Saturday night, he made a show of his beliefs once again. First, before the fight even began, he hoisted a Bible over his head and yelled, "Freedom!" in the middle of the octagon as the emcee announced his name and weight.

After the fight was over, Mitchell brought his Bible out once again, holding it prominently in his right arm and draping his left arm over the shoulders of Ige, whom Mitchell insisted join him in the post-bout interview with commentator Michael Bisping. Bisping was mainly interested in Mitchell's strategy and his emotional state during and after the fight, but Mitchell had other topics on his mind.

"I brought this Bible in here tonight because I do believe that Satan is taking over this earth," the Arkansas native said, still trying to catch his breath.

Mitchell then began discussing "these fires in Hawaii." He pledged to donate $5,000 to Ige, a native Hawaiian, to distribute to his family and friends who were victimized by the tragic fires. "I know [Ige] lost friends; they lost their homes; they lost their children, and I love these people with all my heart," Mitchell added as Ige stood in silence and placed an arm around Mitchell.

"These fires in Hawaii, I don't believe they were natural. I believe they were man-made," Mitchell also claimed. "They're trying to take the land from the natives."

"And we have to show Satan that he can't do NOTHING [to] the power of Christ when we come together," Mitchell stated with fervor.

Bisping did manage to elicit a few comments about the fight itself during his interview with Mitchell. Mitchell told him that Ige was "the hardest hitter" he'd ever faced. He also shrugged off a question about his swollen eye. "Oh that's a scratch, man, that ain't nothin'. I don't know what you're talking about," Mitchell told Bisping in jest.

In his closing remarks, Mitchell tried to coax Ige into leading the "world in prayer against the power of Satan" right there, but Bisping withdrew the microphone and quickly ended the interview with a few perfunctory statements of congratulations. So Mitchell and Ige knelt on the canvas and began praying together, their words known only to themselves and God.

"His faith means a lot to him — [he] brought the Bible in the octagon — and it does for Dan Ige as [well]," an unidentified commentator stated at the end of the video of the post-fight interview.

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