Joe Pyfer fought (and defeated) Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 316 because his UFC Mexico City showdown against the TUF 17 champ got postponed over a case of prolific pooping. In the wake of his pre-fight illness, “Bodybagz” called Mexico a “sh*thole” and vowed to never compete south of the border for the remainder of his combat sports career.
Not surprisingly, those comments (read them here) did not sit well with upper management.
“Ultimately, things did not go well, PR-wise, for me in Mexico,” Pyfer said at the UFC 316 post-fight press conference. “And again, I want to apologize to my Mexicans out there that may hate me. It was not anything toward Mexican culture or people. I should’ve rephrased it a lot kinder and I didn’t, so it is what it is. But I do stand that I will never fight there again. It’s too big of a risk for a b*tch like me.”
Haughty Americans crapping on neighboring countries appears to be a time-honored tradition.
The victory over Gastelum pushed the 28 year-old Pyfer (14-3) to 5-1 inside the Octagon but is unlikely to make an impact on the Top 15 of the 185-pound rankings. That’s because Gastelum, who once held a spot in the division Top 5, has since dropped off the chart altogether after a dreadful 3-7 run across his last 10.
“I really thought he was going to come forward more,” Pyfer said about his Gastelum fight. “That was our game plan: Make him miss, make him pay. I think that’s what led to it. It was both of our faults. It takes two to tango. Every time that he would come in, I would swing, but he didn’t come in very often. Ultimately, it shows I have a lot to work on still. At the end of the day, this is a never-ending job of improvement and skill-building and base-building.”
For more UFC 316 results and highlights click here.
