Joe Pyfer Can’t Wait To Test Gastelum’s Chin

This confidence is well-warranted. Nine of Pyfer’s 13 professional wins came via knockout, including three of his wins in the Octagon. His best effort arguably came in his last fight when he stopped Marc-André Barriault less than 90 seconds into their bout at UFC 303. That matchup came after Pyfer’s first loss in the promotion, a decision defeat to Jack Hermansson in Pyfer’s first main event opportunity. 

Although Pyfer was disappointed in that result, he was happy to rebound in style while also having gained the unique experience of going 15 minutes with a Top 15 fighter. 

FOLLOW @UFCNEWS: On Facebook | On Instagram | On X | On Threads

In speaking with Pyfer, however, the result sticks with the 28-year-old. Not so much because he has regrets. He acknowledged Hermansson’s quality on the night and is proud of how he carried on despite the adversities he faced. However, the backlash from fans following the result was an eye-opening moment. 

“You can't make everybody happy,” he said. “I had such positivity coming into the UFC. Everybody was happy to see me, and then the second you lose—and you can't really issue a statement as to why you think you lost—at the end of the day, Jack was better than me that night. No matter how I showed up, I showed up. And that's what I'm crediting, is that I tried, and I gave my best effort with what I had and the physical condition I was in, and I fought my ass off.”

Pyfer brought a little more public criticism on himself in the aftermath of the scrapped matchup in Mexico City when he expressed his intention to never fight in the country again after falling ill. He understands how and why he might have rubbed people the wrong way with what he said and believes he should have “held his tongue,” and it was a reminder of how big of a platform he actually has in the public eye.

With that lesson in tow, Pyfer is just happy to get his shot at Gastelum and continue to build his way through the middleweight division. Gastelum, who has struggled with consistency since challenging for the interim middleweight belt in a Hall of Fame bout against Israel Adesanya, is returning to the division after a short stint back down at 170 pounds. Pyfer concedes the fact that the former Ultimate Fighter winner’s best work came at 185 pounds and, plainly, just wants to do the dance after nearly a year away from competition.

Saturday's Fight By Fight Preview

“I've envisioned it so much,” Pyfer said. “I'm a big visualizer, and I've dreamed every way that this fight can go probably two or three times. I don't think it's going to be a problem for me. It's just under a year since I'll be returning, but I'm used to long layoffs. My nerves are super good, and I'm just super confident in my preparation for this one versus any other camp.”

The New Jersey-born Pyfer is excited to fight close to home but more so excited to fight, in general. Momentum is an elusive thing which requires both eye-popping performances as well as the frequency of them. Pyfer certainly has the first down pat. Ideally, June 7 restarts those engines on his ascent up the crowded middleweight ladder.

“I do this every day,” he said. “If I go out there and I can silence the crowd, silence all the extra bulls***? I don't give a f*** who's there. I just care about getting in there and having a great performance, and I know I can have a spectacular one against a guy like KG.”