Opinions
It’s Time To Talk About “Main Event” Joe Pyfer
It's finally time to see Joe “Bodybagz” Pyfer headline a UFC Fight Night, which we will come next Saturday, February 10th. Another dynamic middleweight added to the mix, Joe is on the cusp of becoming a star, and perhaps a champion.
I’m going to come clean now and confess my newfound fandom. A few weeks ago, I listened to Joe’s teammate and fellow Philadelphia killer Sean Brady talk on Joe Rogans podcast. Shortly thereafter, I spent another 2-3 hours listening to Joe Pyfer tell his story on JRE. After hearing those two talk, I was sold.
I highly recommend learning Pyfer’s story, he has a documentary coming out on streaming platforms called “Journey To The UFC” where he tells his backstory. From his podcast I can attempt to summarize, but it will truly be an injustice to what he has had to endure. Pyfer opened up about his childhood, where he suffered abuse from both parents, and how his father - a former fighter - would hurt him and his sisters in brutal ways. I don’t want to tell his story as if I know it or understand what he went through, but he bounced around after that, ultimately living in a home in his teenage years that was unlivable with filth. Wrestling, and his wrestling coach, ended up saving his life.
I tell you that poor summarization of a very horrible, amazing story, to tell you what I think he will be the next champ at 185 pounds. As aweful as his backstory is, it’s an advantage for someone who fights for a living. He would tell you till this day he still has the mentality of a poor, ratchet guy from Phily. He likes training his “smaller” gym Marquez MMA, he likes the grit.
This mentality is akin to to other fighters, such as greats like Iron Mike Tyson and many others. On a related note of crazy knockout power, Pyfer also made news recently for breaking (former) heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou’s punch machine record.
"Francis Ngannou has the world record for the most powerful punch, his punch is the equivalent to 96 horsepower which is equal to getting hit by a Ford Escort going as fast as it can” - Dana White a few years back.
Well Dana, tell me how many Ford Escorts with their pedal to the metal can match Joe Pyfer? His punching power is insane, and his speed is other worldly. Only recently did Joe get a coach for each part of his game, and started to work on individual pieces of it. He is not “raw” by any means because he’s already a great fighter, but to me he is starting to fine tune parts of his game to get to that championship caliber.
Other reasons to like Joe Pyfer? He’s a product of the contender series which breed champs such as Sean O’Malley, Jamahal Hill, etc. Also, he finishes fights - at 12-2, he has 11 finishes. Who needs judges anyway?
Right now - Pyfer's star power is on the rise. He’s got a hype train somewhat like fellow middleweight Bo Nickal. If he can beat Jack Hermansson, he will be in the map in a big way. With his story, punching power, and drive, I’m personally ready to call Joe Pyfer the next big thing. Joe - forget “Bodybagz”, I’m ready to call you “Main Event” Joe Pyfer after next Saturday.
“If you want to get into the UFC, and this is where you want to be, act like Joe Pyfer. Okay? Be Joe Pyfer. Be excited to be here. Be fired up to fight. Try to finish the fight. Try to win. Be Joe Pyfer, and you will get into the UFC” - Dana White during the Contender Series
