Tag: Joe Pyfer

Kelvin Gastelum vs. Joe Pyfer Targeted For UFC Mexico On March 29

The UFC is set to return to Mexico in the first quarter of this year, and the promotion appears to be bringing a former title challenger with it in the form of Kelvin Gastelum. It’s been a difficult few years for Gastelum (19-9, 1 NC). After going 2-5 across a seven-fight run that started with […]

The UFC is set to return to Mexico in the first quarter of this year, and the promotion appears to be bringing a former title challenger with it in the form of Kelvin Gastelum.

It’s been a difficult few years for Gastelum (19-9, 1 NC). After going 2-5 across a seven-fight run that started with his memorable interim championship clash with Israel Adesanya, the 33-year-old most recently experienced a failed return to welterweight.

After being submitted by Sean Brady in late 2023, Gastelum did have his hand raised over Daniel Rodriguez. But owing to a weight miss in Saudi Arabia that left UFC CEO Dana White less than happy, his stock didn’t rise in victory.

Unsurprisingly, the Californian looks to have once again been forced to close the book on his 170-pound plans. And he seems close to being booked for a difficult welcome back to the 185-pound class.

Per MMA Mania’s Alex Behunin, a clash between Gastelum and the highly touted Joe Pyfer (13-3) is in the works for the UFC Fight Night in Mexico on March 29.

After breaking through in a big way on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022, Pyfer began Octagon life on the front foot with three straight wins.

But after knocking out Alen Amedovski and Gerald Meerschaert and submitting Abdul Razak Alhassan, “Bodybagz” was unable to get past his toughest test to date, falling via decision to perennial contender Jack Hermansson in an Apex main event last February.

Pyfer, however, wasn’t coming off a defeat for long. He returned to his violent ways during International Fight Week four months later by sleeping Marc-André Barriault. He’ll now look to return to a win streak at Gastelum’s expense.

The addition of Gastelum vs. Pyfer would mark the third bout on the UFC Mexico lineup. Thus far, Edgar Cháirez and Ronaldo Rodríguez both have home country fights set, with the former facing CJ Vergara and the latter dueling Kevin Borjas.

Video – Francis Ngannou breaks punch machine with minimal effort ahead of boxing return

Francis NgannouSorry, Joe Pyfer, but Francis Ngannou is still the king. The former UFC heavyweight champion is in final preparations…

Francis Ngannou

Sorry, Joe Pyfer, but Francis Ngannou is still the king.

The former UFC heavyweight champion is in final preparations for his sophomore appearance inside the squared circle after a critically acclaimed showing against ‘The Gypsy King’ Tyson Fury in October. Despite coming up short via a razor-close — and highly questionable — split decision, Ngannou’s performance landed him in the No. 10 spot on the WBC rankings, setting the stage for a showdown with top-ranked contender Anthony Joshua.

Ngannou and Joshua will square off on Friday, March 8 inside the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Making his final preparations, ‘The Predator’ put his power to the test on a Gymshark punching machine. Barely offering much of an effort, Ngannou hit the max score, sent the machine into a fit, and even shook the camera upon making contact with the bag.

Earlier this month, UFC standout Joe Pyfer had a meltdown during a pre-fight press event after he had seemingly broken Francis Ngannou’s power punch record only to be denied the official title.

“This sh*t pisses me off,” Pyfer said. “I hit the f*cking machine, the same machine, and I hit it with a 16-ounce glove. For all these nerds out there that don’t understand science, I hit it with a 16-ounce glove. That means I didn’t even get to hit it as hard as I could because I had a big pad. So I broke the record with a big glove, I broke it four or five times, I broke it in front of the operations guys.“

Maybe one day we’ll see Ngannou and Pyfer meet up in the gym to find out who truly is the hardest puncher in the fight game.

Joe Pyfer blasts ‘Haters’ after first UFC defeat in main event: ‘I wasn’t supposed to be here anyway’

Joe Pyfer blasts "haters" after UFC Vegas 86 loss I wasn't supposed to be here anywayDespite a valiant effort, Joe Pyfer suffered his first UFC loss in the main event of UFC Vegas 86…

Joe Pyfer blasts "haters" after UFC Vegas 86 loss I wasn't supposed to be here anyway

Despite a valiant effort, Joe Pyfer suffered his first UFC loss in the main event of UFC Vegas 86 at the hands of Jack Hermansson.

‘Bodybagz’ entered the matchup riding a fiery winning streak comprised of all finishes. Things wouldn’t go his way though, as despite an excellent start to the fight: he quickly began to find himself outmatched.

As the fight wore on, Hermansson dealt with the ferocious pressure of Pyfer better, and better. ‘The Joker’ found a home with his calf kick, and his striking in general improved as he began to pick ‘Bodybagz’ apart slowly. In the end, the judges would award Hermansson the decision victory, and ‘The Joker’ would send Pyfer back home as the loser.

Joe Pyfer Reacts to UFC Vegas 86 Loss

“I just want to say I’m okay,” Joe Pyfer said on his Instagram story (H/T MMA Sucka). “Despite how my face looks, I wasn’t rocked. I got punched in the eyeball, I couldn’t see. He did a good job (kicking) the calf. I feel like the eye when I lost vision, I failed that round. I lost that round and then just I couldn’t get it back, and then he did a good job on the calf.”

“To all my haters, suck a fat d***!” Pyfer exclaimed. “I wasn’t supposed to be here anyway. I give it 100 per cent every time, and yeah, we’ll make adjustments, and we’ll come back. Thank you to all my sponsors. Thank you to everybody who supports me. And yeah, good job, Jack.”

While his undefeated UFC winning streak was snapped, there is still a ton of upside for ‘Bodybagz’. He holds ferocious power in his hands and that won’t be leaving his side anytime soon. On top of that, as time passes, he will only grow more skilled. Many of the UFC’s greatest stars and champions experienced hiccups along their journey, and this should just be considered a small setback for the exciting prospect.

What were your thoughts on the Jack Hermansson and Joe Pyfer fight?

Jack Hermansson hands Joe Pyfer his first loss inside the Octagon via a decisive UD – UFC Vegas 86

Joe Pyfer vs. Jack HermanssonJack Hermansson handed Joe Pyfer his first loss inside the Octagon at UFC Vegas 86 on Saturday night. From…

Joe Pyfer vs. Jack Hermansson

Jack Hermansson handed Joe Pyfer his first loss inside the Octagon at UFC Vegas 86 on Saturday night.

From the opening bell, Joe Pyfer was in control of the contest, putting Hermansson on his back foot and getting the Swedish standout to bite on every feint. ‘The Joker’ made some solid adjustments in the second round that began to pay dividends in the third with Hermansson softening up Pyfier via some well-placed jabs and stinging low kicks.

Pyfer got hit with a stiff jab that appeared to affect his vision just over the halfway point of the third. Undeterred, ‘Bodybagz’ caught Hermansson off balance with a big left hand that had the Swede backing up and looking to create some space. Pyfer ended the round on a good note, but the third likely went to Hermansson on the scorecards.

Hermansson’s jab continued to get the job done in the fourth, leading both corners to believe that the fight was 2-2 going into the fifth and final round. Pyfer’s corner stressed urgency, but it was the jab of ‘The Joker’ that continued to stifle his opponent’s offense in the later rounds.

With three minutes to go in the fight, Hermansson scored his first successful takedown of the fight, immediately getting into Pyfer’s half-guard. ‘The Joker’ pummeled Pyfer with a series of ground-and-pound strikes, never allowing ‘Bodybagz’ to get back to his feet before the final bell.

Official Result: Jack Hermansson def. Joe Pyfer via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)

Check Out Highlights from Joe Pyfer vs. Jack Hermansson at UFC Vegas 86:

Joe Pyfer goes off on ‘nerds’ who refuse to believe he beat Francis Ngannou’s power punch record

Joe PyferJoe Pyfer has a message for all the “f*cking nerds” who refuse to believe that he beat Francis Ngannou’s…

Joe Pyfer

Joe Pyfer has a message for all the “f*cking nerds” who refuse to believe that he beat Francis Ngannou’s power punch record.

After just three fights inside the Octagon, Pyfer heads into his first UFC headliner this Saturday night as the promotion returns to The APEX for a second straight weekend. Meeting ‘Bodybagz’ in the main event will be Swedish standout Jack Hermansson.

Weeks ahead of their Fight Night clash, the man Dana White wants everyone to be like made headlines after he appeared to break former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou’s record on a power punching machine. And just for good measure, Pyfer reportedly broke the record multiple times to erase any potential doubt. But despite the repeated successful attempts and video evidence to prove it, Ngannou still maintains the top spot and Pyfer is pissed.

“This sh*t pisses me off. I hit the f*cking machine — the same machine — and I hit it with a 16-ounce glove,” Pyfer said during the UFC media event on Wednesday. “For all these nerds out there that don’t understand science… I hit it with a 16-ounce glove. That means I didn’t even get to hit it as hard as I could because I had a big pad. So I broke the record with a big glove. I broke it four or five times. Broke it in front of the operations guy.

“There was a heavyweight from Brazil that was hitting it. Couldn’t even come close to it. Coach hit it, couldn’t come close to it. Brendan Allen’s coach hit it, didn’t come close to it and they didn’t want to give it to me officially.”

Pyfer made it clear that he doesn’t hold any animosity towards Ngannou, but wants the record to be set straight at some point.

“I don’t know why and then everybody makes this narrative about oiling up Dana’s ass and sh*t and that it’s like Dana White trying to take out Ngannou,” Pyfer continued. “I’ve got nothing, but respect for anybody that’s ever stepped in this cage and has ever done something to change their life who comes from the slums. You hear all these stories from people like Charles Oliveira, Francis Ngannou. Even my teammate. We’ve all come from struggles to be something and then I get discredited because I hit harder. Sh*t pisses me off.

“F*ck those nerds and whoever told me I didn’t get that f*cking score. I’ll do it again and just to say this, I had a torn rotator cuff when I hit it. I had to stop because I hurt myself. F*ck those nerds.”

Joe Pyfer may not be officially recognized as the world’s most powerful puncher — for now — but he has undeniably lived up to his ‘Bodybagz’ moniker by stacking up bodies inside the Octagon. With a second-round KO of Ozzy Diaz on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022, Pyfer burst onto the scene with three straight victories under the UFC banner, including back-to-back first-round knockouts.

Pyfer flexed his submission skills in his last outing against Abdul Razak Alhassan, with a second-round arm triangle choke, extending his current win streak to five in a row.

UFC Standout Joe Pyfer Presents Video Evidence That He Beat Francis Ngannou’s Punching Machine Record

Joe Pyfer and Francis NgannouMiddleweight standout Joe Pyfer broke Francis Ngannou’s punch machine record and he can prove it. Last week, longtime UFC…

Joe Pyfer and Francis Ngannou

Middleweight standout Joe Pyfer broke Francis Ngannou’s punch machine record and he can prove it.

Last week, longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan claimed that Pyfer had broken Ngannou’s punching record. However, the individual who maintains the machine seemingly refused to believe that ‘Bodybagz’ did any such thing.

That motherf*cker hits so hard,” Rogan said during a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience “We should tell everybody that he broke Francis Ngannou’s record on that punch machine. They didn’t want to register it which is, I don’t understand why. Why didn’t they want to give it to him? The guy was saying like something was weird with the machine. [Pyfer] did it like three times! Three times in a row.”

Making an appearance on Rogan’s popular podcast, Joe Pyfer brought some receipts in the form of a video clip, proving that he undeniably eclipsed the former heavyweight champ’s punching power. “I don’t know what the confusion is so I’m gonna post it,” Pyfer said before the pair played the video evidence.

After making a statement on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022, Pyfer is 3-0 inside the Octagon, scoring first-round knockouts against Alen Amedovski and Gerald Meerschaert. He followed those performances up with an arm-triangle submission victory against Abdul Razak Alhassan in October.

Pyfer will return to action on February 10 for his first UFC headliner when he meets Swedish veteran Jack Hermansson.