Rivalries: Joe Pyfer

Joe Pyfer seems to possess the tools and opportunity required to climb to contention inside the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight division.

“Bodybagz” will try to stick another feather in his cap when he squares off with “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 17 winner Kelvin Gastelum in a UFC on ESPN 64 middleweight showcase this Saturday at Arena CDMX in Mexico City. Pyfer, 28, steps back into view having rattled off six wins in seven appearances. He last competed at UFC 303, where he buried Marc-Andre Barriault with punches just 85 seconds into their June 29 encounter.

As Pyfer approaches his forthcoming clash with Gastelum at 185 pounds, a look at a few of the rivalries that have helped shape his career to this point:

Jhonoven Pati

“The Samoan Savage” captured the Ring of Combat middleweight championship when he disposed of the previously unbeaten Pyfer with a guillotine choke in the second round of the ROC 70 main event on Nov. 23, 2019 at the Showboat Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Pati drew the curtain 60 seconds into Round 2. Pyfer dictated the terms of their engagement in the first round, where he executed multiple takedowns, employed an active top game and applied his ground-and-pound, all while flirting with the occasional choke. Pati waded through the difficulty, reassessed his position between rounds and went to work. He caught Pyfer ducking for cover inside the first minute of the second stanza, bit down on the guillotine, pressed him into the cage for additional leverage and prompted the tapout.

Osman Diaz

Pyfer nailed down an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract on Week 1 of Dana White’s Contender Series when he wiped out the former Legacy Fighting Alliance titleholder with punches in the second round of their July 26, 2022 middleweight showcase at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Diaz bowed out 1:39 into Round 2, his five-fight winning streak at an end. Pyfer seized the reins early in the first round and never truly released them. He struck for a takedown inside 45 seconds, threatened with an arm-triangle choke, advanced to the back and secured his position with a body triangle. Diaz eventually reversed into top position but failed to capitalize on the opportunity. Pyfer rattled him with a crisp one-two at the start of the middle stanza and reset himself for his next assault. He leveled Diaz with a beautiful left hook, hovered above him and brought it to a close with a burst of standing-to-ground punches.

Abdul Razak Alhassan

Pyfer put the often-terrifying “Judo Thunder” to sleep with an arm-triangle choke in the second round of their UFC Fight Night 229 co-main event on Oct. 7, 2023 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Alhassan lost his grip on reality 2:05 into Round 2, losing via submission for the first time in his career. Pyfer let his intentions be known right out of the gate, as he secured multiple takedowns, hammered the body with punches and kicks, fed the heavy-handed judoka a steady jab and unleashed fast combinations. Alhassan answered with a series of low kicks early in the second round, only to concede a high-amplitude takedown. Pyfer clamped down on the arm-triangle, cleared the legs and cut off blood flow with a tight, fight-ending squeeze.

Jack Hermansson

The ex-Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder dug in his heels and curbed some of the enthusiasm around one of the middleweight division’s fastest-rising stars when he took a unanimous decision from Pyfer in their UFC Fight Night 236 headliner on Feb. 10, 2024 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. All three judges saw it the same: 48-47 for Hermansson. Pyfer managed to hold serve through two rounds with booming punches to the body and head. However, he started to unravel when those efforts failed to throw Hermansson off his scent. The Frontline Academy standout battered Pyfer’s lower lead leg with crushing kicks and marked up his face with a piercing jab, seizing the initiative with his guile and grit. Hermansson forced the Vineland, New Jersey, native onto his back foot, at which point he became far less aggressive and effective. Pyfer had little left in the tank for Round 5. Hermansson secured a takedown some two minutes into the period and proceeded to pile up points with the remaining time, hammering the American with shoulder strikes, short punches and elbows. The loss put an end to Pyfer’s five-fight winning streak.