UFC featherweight fighter Bryce Mitchell sparked widespread backlash last month after praising Adolf Hitler on his podcast and making inflammatory antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ+ remarks.
The 30-year-old MMA fighter, who has a history of promoting conspiracy theories, recently doubled down with a new theory about the Earth’s rotation, dismissing mainstream science and claiming that gravity is not real.
Why It Matters
Mitchell is no stranger to controversy. He has opposed government regulations, including seatbelt laws, and accused NASA and the scientific community of concealing the true shape of the Earth.
A conspiracy theorist who recently attended President Trump’s inaugural festivities, he also contends that the Covid virus was engineered in a U.S. government lab and deliberately released, and that mass shootings are staged to push a gun confiscation agenda.
Mitchell’s outspokenness has become a growing headache for the UFC, with president Dana White — a vocal Trump supporter and new board member at Meta — taking the rare step last month of publicly rebuking Mitchell as an “absolute moron” after the fighter’s Hitler rant.
Newsweek reached out to the UFC for comment on Mitchell’s latest video but did not immediately receive a response.
What To Know
In a recent social media video, Mitchell, holding a piece of paper with a drawing of a helicopter, shared his theory that the Earth doesn’t rotate, claiming to prove it with “basic geometry.”
“I think no one will disagree once I explain it… Keep doing your own research, because there’s no proof the Earth rotates. That’s a lie from the devil,” he said, questioning how it would be possible to fly a helicopter at 15,000 feet if the Earth were rotating at 1,000 mph.
Mitchell argued that as the helicopter ascends, it would follow a larger flight path, suggesting this disproves the idea of Earth’s rotation. According to his interpretation of inertia, the helicopter would travel farther than the Earth’s surface beneath it due to the Earth’s rotation.
Mitchell further asserted that anyone who didn’t understand his “geometry of spheres and circles” wouldn’t grasp his argument, dismissing mainstream science that goes back centuries to Copernicus and the concept of a heliocentric model of the universe.
The 30-year-old has long been outspoken about his belief in various conspiracy theories, including his previous claim that gravity doesn’t exist, despite widely accepted scientific principles.
These remarks came a month before his comments on his podcast, ArkanSanity, where he also defended Adolf Hitler, saying, “I really do think before Hitler got on meth, he was a guy to go fishing with. He fought for his country.”
Mitchell also questioned the historical accuracy of the Holocaust, falsely suggesting it was impossible for six million Jews to have been exterminated.
Those comments were what sparked White to publicly condemn Mitchell, while saying no disciplinary action would be taken because of his right to freedom of speech.
“I’ve heard a lot of dumb, ignorant s— in my day, but this one’s probably the worst,” the UFC chief said. “When you talk about Hitler, he was responsible for the death of six million Jews, and he tried to completely eliminate a race of people… Hitler was one of the most disgusting and evil human beings to ever walk the face of the Earth, and anyone who even tries to take an opposing position is a moron.”
Days later, Mitchell took to the internet to respond, addressing the situation and stating that he is “not a Nazi.”
What People Are Saying
UFC President Dana White said in January: “That’s the beautiful thing about this business. For all of you that hate Bryce Mitchell, you get to see him hopefully get his ass whooped on global television.”
UFC fighter Natan Levy, who is Jewish, responded on social media: “You’re welcome to have a real conversation and actually learn about Judaism, our history, and culture firsthand,” Levy wrote in an Instagram post.
What Happens Next
In a video on his Instagram, shared on X by @realkevinK, Mitchell confirmed that his podcast ArkanSanity will continue. “I think that was a crazy amount of feedback for a first episode on a podcast. So I’m definitely not going to stop.”
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