Bryce Mitchell releases first statement since comments supporting Adolf Hitler, questioning Holocaust

Bryce Mitchell has released a statement two days after making disgusting comments on his podcast in which he called Adolf Hitler “a good guy” while also making anti-Semitic comments and espousing Holocaust hoax theories.

The UFC featherweight’s comments immediately started a storm of controversy on social media, causing widespread condemnation among his peers, with Polish star Jan Blachowicz imploring Mitchell to take a tour of Warsaw and Auschwitz, two cities that were devastated by the Nazis during World War II.

On Saturday, Mitchell commented on the situation via Instagram, apologizing for sounding “insensitive” and vowing, “In the future I will be much more considerate wen talking about the suffering of all peoples” in an accompanying caption.

“I’m sorry I sounded insensitive,” Mitchell wrote. “I definitely was not trying to offend anybody, but I know I did. I know that a lot of people died in the Holocaust, and that’s a fact. Hitler did a lot of evil things, I think we can agree on that. I’m definitely not a Nazi, and definitely do not condone any of the evil things Hitler did.”

The comments are a stark contrast to Mitchell’s offensive podcast ravings, in which he claimed Hitler was a “good guy based on my own research.” He added that he believed Hitler “fought for his country, he wanted to purify it by kicking the greedy Jews out that were destroying his country and turning them all into gays.”

Mitchell also indulged in Holocaust denial during his show, saying, “there’s no possible way they could’ve burned and cremated 6 million bodies, you’re going to realize the Holocaust ain’t real.”

UFC President Dana White has condemned Mitchell’s words, saying the following at a Power Slap press conference on Thursday:

“I’ve heard a lot of dumb and ignorant shit said over the years, but this is probably the worst. First of all, when you talk about Hitler, he was responsible for the death of six million Jews and it was his intent to completely eliminate the Jewish people. And that’s a guy you would want to go fishing with? And think about this, when you look at [World War II], it was the deadliest war in human history. In its entirety, you’re talking about a war that resulted in 15 million military deaths, and 45 million civilian deaths. That doesn’t include at least another 25 million soldiers that were wounded.

“Second of all, Hitler is one of the most disgusting and evil human beings to ever walk the Earth, and anyone that even tries to take an opposing position is a moron. That’s the problem with the internet and social media. You provide a platform to a lot of dumb and ignorant people. We reached out to Bryce immediately when we read what he said, and let him know exactly how we felt about it. But what he said was beyond disgusting and he needs a real education on the facts surrounding Hitler and WWII.”

Despite White’s admonishment, he insisted that the UFC will not police speech, and that the promotion had spoken to Mitchell about his comments and that the fighter will not be released.