A welder by trade, Brad is seemingly just your average down-to-earth outgoing Texan type of guy. He likes to hunt (favorite: deer and wild hogs), crack jokes and laugh often. As he tells it, he’s also family man first and foremost.
“I’m not just a dad but I’m a grandpa too and I love that little guy,” he says to our amazement.
It’s not often you hear of a 38 year old grandfather (that trains MMA no less!) but that’s part of who he is. And his grandson is somebody he loves more than anything.
Those of you with kids can surely attest that they are a wear and tear mentally at times (all the time).
For Brad Mitchell, he’s already been down that road and back and now he’s living it all over again.
Maybe that’s what keeps him young. “God has blessed me to compete in a young man’s sport,” he says.
Started his journey in MMA seven years ago, Mitchell lost his first fight back in June 2005 but hasn’t lost since, spanning off an impressive eight fight win streak heading into this Saturday night’s title fight versus 22 year old young lion Donnie “The Bomber” Bell at XKO 16 in Arlington.
“I know I don’t have long in the sport but I’m making a run for it,” he says about the contest, which will likely be the toughest of his seven year career.
“I feel good about this matchup and I think it will make for a very good and exciting fight. He’s a tough young guy with a good record but I respect all fighters whether they are 0-10 or 10-0. He’s no different and I will never underestimate any one that steps in the cage. I just think the mindset I have going into a fight helps so much. I like to visualize the fight playing out to my favor. I think that’s a huge advantage.”
Another advantage for him is his recent move to train over at Octagon MMA for this camp.
“I love it,” he says. “They’re a great group of guys to train with. Everyone there is supportive and welling to help out any way they can … High level guys in BJJ and in stand up to work with. I got a good game plan for this fight. Now it’s just time to focus on all things positive. I have seen the fight played out in so many ways in my mind but I’m just going to let the fight happen and become one with the moment. As they, ‘expect the unexpected.’”
Fighter Acknowledgements
I want to thank God for all the blessings that he has blessed me with and all the blessings he will put upon me , I wanna thank all my fans and supporters, family and friends, and thanks to all my sponsors. I also want to say a special thanks to Sayif Saud at Octagon MMA, Dr. David Windsor at the Texas Institute of Sports Medicine, Dr. John Schineider at The Vision Gallery, and Jamie Davila at The Blue Crew – Energy Drink. – Brad Mitchell