Matt Mitrione Releases Statement On Loss & Mouthpiece Incident
Matt Mitrione suffered a knockout loss at the hands of Sergei Kharitonov in the main event of Bellator 225.
Yet, the storyline in the fight was about Mitrione’s mouthpiece. He was using a brand new mouthpiece but it fell out multiple times and the referee warned the former NFL player that if it fell out again he would be deducted a point. Then, Kharitonov landed a punch that knocked the mouthpiece out and Matt Mitrione looked in disgust and was then hit with a knee that sent him to the ground and the Russian finished it off with strikes.
For Matt Mitrione, it was not the type of performance he had wanted. Following the fight, he took to Twitter to release a statement on the loss and about the mouthpiece.
“Me losing was not because of my mouthpiece, it was because of my response to the situation. I always use the same one & lost it Thursday before fight week. Had an impression done at a West Lafayette dentist. It was shipped to hotel. First time I ever wore it was tonight,” Matt Mitrione wrote on Twitter.
With the loss, Matt Mitrione record fell to 13-7 and one no-contest. He is 0-2 and one no-contest in his last three. He is also 4-2 and one no-contest in Bellator MMA.
There is no question the mouthpiece was a distraction for Mitrione but he is not blaming the loss on that. But, it is almost a guarantee he will have a new mouthpiece that is fitted when he steps into the cage next time out.
Do you think the mouthpiece had an impact on Matt Mitrione’s performance?
