Joe Pyfer was “never in danger” against Kelvin Gastelum.
But “BodyBagz” suggests the cageside commentary, led by Jon Anik with support from Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier, was being “a little hard” on the middleweight slugger during his UFC 316 performance last weekend in Newark, simply because Pyfer — known for his thunderous knockout power — failed to secure a finish.
In his defense, Gastelum has never been knocked out in 30 professional fights.
“They were a little hard on me,” Pyfer told Ariel Helwani (transcribed by Farah Hannoun). “Joe Rogan was a little hard on me. I just think the expectation is set so high for me, that if I don’t get a devastating finish, then everybody kind of starts being like, ‘Oh, well, if he wants to fight the higher competition, he’s got to do this, he’s got to do that.’”
Pyfer is 5-1 inside the Octagon with four finishes.
“It’s like bro, Abus Magomedov just fought Michel Pereira when he was 2-2 in the UFC, and now he’s ranked No. 11,” Pyfer continued. “You could go from being unranked to No. 11 in one fight. I’ll get the better competition, relax. I think they were a little bit unfair as far as the reality of the fight. It was not a close fight. I was never in danger.”
Pyfer (14-3) remains unranked at 185 pounds.
That’s because his one attempt to crack into the division Top 15 resulted in a decision loss to longtime veteran Jack Hermansson back in early 2024. Fortunately for the 28 year-old Philadelphian, he’s still relatively young in terms of his MMA shelf life.
“Bodybagz” is expected to return to UFC at some point later this year.
