Sean Strickland Slams UFC After Fighter Bryce Mitchell Asks Social Media for Free Medical Help
Bantamweight fighter Bryce Mitchell’s public request for free medical assistance after breaking his nose during training has exposed what many fighters argue is a significant gap in UFC health insurance coverage. On Tuesday, October 29, 2025, Mitchell turned to social media to ask anyone in his hometown of Searcy, Arkansas, for help resetting his fractured nose after local doctors quoted him $2,000 for the procedure.
UFC Fighter Bryce Mitchell Forced to Beg for Free Medical Help After Breaking Nose
In an Instagram video posted that morning, the US-born Mitchell appeared visibly distressed, his nose visibly misaligned with tissues stuffed in his nostrils to stop the bleeding. He explained the financial burden driving his unusual request. “Dude, the doctors are so expensive. They’re like $2,000, or some sh*t just to set my nose,” Mitchell said in the video. “Can somebody, by the grace of Go,d please set my nose back straight for free? If you could fix my nose for free in Arkansas right now, send me a message and I’ll probably go to you instead of the doctor because this is probably going to be like thousands of dollars.”
The video and Mitchell’s caption reading “searcy can anyone help me please? can a dr reset this for me? i dont have medical insurance ill pay cash if u want money” quickly circulated across social media platforms. What began as a local cry for help soon caught the attention of former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland, who responded publicly on Instagram with pointed criticism aimed at the promotion itself.
“Well I was wrong……. you have to have a fight booked to get medical from the UFC lmao what a joke,” Strickland commented.
Since 2011, the UFC has offered all fighters under contract up to $50,000 annually in accidental injury coverage and separate event-related medical coverage for fight-night injuries. However, this insurance applies specifically to injuries sustained during sanctioned fights, official UFC-sanctioned training camps, or accidental injuries that could prevent a fighter from competing for their scheduled purse. Injuries occurring during personal training sessions outside of the promotion’s direct oversight fall into a gray area. The situation raises questions about whether fighters like Mitchell, who was training independently rather than in a UFC-sanctioned camp ahead of a scheduled bout, qualify for coverage.
Mitchell’s situation took place while he was not actively preparing for an upcoming fight. He had competed as a bantamweight against Said Nurmagomedov on July 26, 2025, at UFC on ABC 9, winning by unanimous decision. The gap between his last fight and his nose injury meant he was training on his own schedule without the protection of a fight-specific medical arrangement.
Strickland’s critique came on the heels of his previous commentary about fighter compensation. Earlier in October 2025, he had criticized the UFC’s approach to fighter pay, noting that the promotion pays low base salaries, typically $10,000 to show and $10,000 to win for less established fighters, while signing billion-dollar broadcast agreements.
Mitchell‘s situation ultimately resolved itself. The fighter posted an update on social media expressing gratitude and confirming he was doing well. “I’m doin great. Thank yall im ready to fite wen they call dont worry the show must go on,” he wrote. Reports indicate that Mitchell found local assistance to address his injury without paying professional medical fees, though specific details about who provided the help were not disclosed.
