Joe Pyfer (15-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC) made headlines when he secured his UFC contract on the second attempt by way of Contender Series in the summer of 2022. It wasn’t because of how he did that night, but rather what UFC CEO Dana White said when awarding him the contract.
That night’s show, the first of the sixth season of Contender Series, saw the event marred by uninspiring fights. Three of the four fights held in that episode saw the winners determined by the scorecards. Joe Pyfer’s win over future UFC fighter Ozzy Diaz was the lone stoppage of the evening.
When doling out the contracts at night’s end, Dana White said simply, but powerfully, “I don’t care what you did in your career the last five years. What are you going to do tonight? So, next week, when you roll in here, the next crew on Tuesday, show me who you are Tuesday night! That’s the only thing I’m concerned with. If you want to get into the UFC and this is where you want to be, act like Joe Pyfer! Be Joe Pyfer!”
On Tuesday, the UFC confirmed that the next fight for Joe Pyfer, the No. 15 contender at middleweight, would be taking place as the main event of the March 28 UFC Seattle show. The Climate Pledge Arena-hosted card will see Pyfer walk to the fabled Octagon against No. 6 contender and former UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya (24-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC.)
This will be a five-round fight at five minutes per round to close out the show. It’ll also be Adesanya’s first in nearly 14 months. In February of last year, Adesanya was knocked out viciously by Nassourdine Imavov just seconds into the second round of a scheduled five in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Should Joe Pyfer get his way on the second Saturday night of the spring, more aggression will be on the menu in the Pacific Northwest.
Joe Pyfer Details Scrubbed Costa Booking on Ariel Helwani Show
During the Wednesday edition of The Ariel Helwani Show, Pyfer, nicknamed “Bodybagz,” was one of Helwani’s guests. He revealed that Israel Adesanya was not the first fighter the promotion planned to book against him for the month of March.
“I initially was offered Paulo Costa,” Joe Pyfer began. “I love that fight, it used to be one of my dream fights, but I think he pulls out of a lot of fights. I think he’s a big guy, so I’m glad to see he’s going to 205. I think that’s a better fit for him.”
Pyfer first learned of the promotion’s intentions to book him for March of this year in December and immediately accepted the opportunity to lock horns with “The Last Stylebender.”
“It’s a win-win,” he said. “There’s no losing, no matter the result, there’s no losing. This is a life-changing moment for me. He’s arguably, in my opinion, the best middleweight of all-time. To have that fight, knowing that he doesn’t have that many more left, it’s an honor, man.”
Joe Pyfer Aims for Aggression March 28 in Seattle
While Joe Pyfer and Israel Adesanya have exchanged pleasantries in the past, all cordialness will be put aside when the last event in the first quarter of the UFC’s schedule takes place.
“I don’t care if people really like me that much [anymore],” he said. “One thing I want to be known for is that I’ve got this opportunity and I’m absolutely bringing the heat. I’m going to go and try to be the first one to stop him in a really bad way. I hope we’re both healthy afterwards, but I know I have those capabilities over anybody in this division to really hurt someone where they don’t move.”
Helwani mentioned that oddsmakers have Joe Pyfer listed as a slight favorite for the UFC Seattle main event. The No. 15-ranked contender doesn’t really care about betting odds right now.
“I think that’s people sleeping on [Adesanya,] because he’s on a three-fight losing streak,” he mused. “They’re to the best guys in the world and the active guys in the world. You can’t look too much into the odds. This is one of the best guys in the world. He was one of the longest-defending middleweight champions in the world, aside from Anderson Silva and he’s the ‘Stylebender.'”
Final Thoughts
Joe Pyfer hasn’t lost the spark that got him into the UFC when he scored that knockout against Ozzy Diaz in 2022. Will the spark be present when the calendar shifts ahead to the third month of the year in Puget Sound?
Only time will tell.
