Joe Pyfer has clarified the reason for his forced withdrawal from his scheduled UFC Mexico fight against Kelvin Gastelum on Saturday.
The UFC announced Pyfer`s last-minute removal from the Fight Night event at Arena CDMX in Mexico City just hours before it was set to begin, stating it was due to illness. Shortly after, Pyfer posted a statement on his Instagram stories expressing his disappointment and declaring he will no longer fight outside of the United States in the future.
“I’m heartbroken I couldn’t compete today,” Pyfer wrote. “I became very ill, and I hope we can reschedule this fight in the coming weeks. Unfortunately, this is a risk of traveling internationally. My apologies to everyone. I will be back.”
Pyfer`s UFC record stands at 4 wins and 1 loss. His only defeat was against Jack Hermansson in the main event of UFC Vegas 86 in February 2024. The 28-year-old fighter recently rebounded with a quick knockout victory against Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC 303 this past June, winning in just 85 seconds.
Gastelum was also preparing to fight for the first time in nine months. His last fight was a win by decision against Daniel Rodriguez at UFC Saudi Arabia.
