Kelvin Gastelum and Joe Pyfer are set to finally face off after their previous match at UFC Mexico was called off. The middleweight fighters will now compete at UFC 316, taking place on June 7 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Sources familiar with the promotion`s plans confirmed the rescheduling to MMA media outlets on Monday. Pyfer`s coach, John Marquez, initially announced the new date on MMA Today.
Their initial fight was canceled just hours before the March 29 event when Pyfer fell ill and was unable to compete. Following the cancellation, Pyfer expressed strong negative feelings towards Mexico, stating he would never fight there again due to the illness he experienced.
“I don’t care if it’s offensive, but I will never return to that country,” Pyfer stated on his Instagram. “I took all precautions, including sleeping in a tent to acclimate, and still got sick.”
Pyfer elaborated, “Some suggest it was altitude sickness, not food poisoning. Regardless, despite two months of preparation and acclimatization efforts, I became ill. If that`s the impact of altitude, then I’m done with that country. I won’t be fighting there again.”
Fortunately for Pyfer, he won`t have to return to Mexico. Instead, he will be fighting in New Jersey as part of the UFC`s June event on the East Coast.
UFC 316 is headlined by a bantamweight title fight between champion Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley. The co-main event features Julianna Peña defending her women’s bantamweight title against Kayla Harrison.
