Tag: Joe Pyfer

UFC 303 adds Joe Pyfer vs. Marc-Andre Barriault to International Fight Week lineup

UFC 303, the International Fight Week event headlined by Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler, continues to fill.

The annual pay-per-view lineup for International Fight Week is filling up slowly but surely.

The most recent addition to UFC 303 is a middleweight bout between [autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag] and [autotag]Marc-Andre Barriault[/autotag], the promotion announced Wednesday. The event takes place June 29 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler.

Pyfer (12-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) aims to rebound from his first promotional loss. He earned a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022 and became one of the show’s most well known products partially due to White’s “Be Joe Pyfer” post-fight speech. Pyfer defeated Alen Amedovski, Gerald Meerschaert and Abdul Razak Alhassan before he lost a unanimous decision to Jack Hermansson in his first promotional main event in February.

Barriault (16-7 MMA, 5-6 UFC) looks to bounce back into the win column after a split decision loss to Chris Curtis in January. The defeat snapped a two-fight skid that consisted of wins over Julian Marquez and Eryk Anders.

With the addition, the UFC 303 lineup includes:

  • Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler
  • Andre Fili vs. Cub Swanson
  • Gillian Robertson vs. Michelle Waterson-Gomez
  • Carlos Hernandez vs. Rei Tsuruya
  • Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Joe Pyfer

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.

Mick Maynard’s Shoes: What’s next for Joe Pyfer after UFC Fight Night 236 loss?

Did Joe Pyfer get exposed as average in his first octagon loss to Jack Hermansson at UFC Fight Night 236?

(ALSO SEE: Mick Maynard’s Shoes: What’s next for Jack Hermansson after UFC Fight Night 236 win?)

If anyone ever underestimates the significance of experience in MMA, point no further than Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 236 main event, in which [autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag] suffered his first octagon loss against Jack Hermansson.

Beaming with the confidence of three consecutive finishes to begin his UFC tenure, Pyfer (12-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) came into the middleweight headliner vs. Hermansson (24-8 MMA, 11-6 UFC) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas with maximum confidence. It showed in the octagon to start the fight, with Pyfer controlling the first and second rounds.

The narrative changed in the third, however, when Hermansson landed a big punch that hindered Pyfer’s vision. He shrunk in the moment of adversity while Hermansson displayed veteran savvy and took over down the stretch to win a unanimous decision and take home the upset, leaving questions about whether Pyfer was overmatched and overhyped.

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His next performance will be more telling on that front. If Pyfer learned lessons in output, pacing and the ability to control the flow of a fight, he’ll be better for this. If not, than this main event might be his pinnacle. At just 27, however, the future could still be quite bright for Pyfer.

He needs to rack up one or two wins before he gets another crack at a ranked opponent, though. Many think he was fast-tracked to this spot, so the next time he gets someone with a number next to his name, it needs to be entirely warranted.

Someone like the winner of next month’s UFC Fight Night matchup between Eryk Anders (15-7 MMA, 7-8 UFC) and Jamie Pickett (13-10 MMA, 2-6 UFC) is in the wheelhouse of a fitting rebound fight for Pyfer. Both men are experienced and have fought some marquee names in the division, and there’s a lot to compare and contrast in how Pyfer would handle them. The fight doesn’t go down until March 2, meaning Pyfer has time to heal up then make his timeline match up with that of the winner.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 236.

UFC Fight Night 236 post-event facts: Rodolfo Vieira claims record with another arm-triangle choke

Check out all the facts from UFC Fight Night 236, which saw Rodolfo Vieira become the all-time octagon leader in arm-triangle choke wins.

The UFC’s lengthy stretch of events rolled on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 236 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

[autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag] (24-8 MMA, 11-6 UFC) emerged victorious in the main event when he scored an upset of [autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) by unanimous decision in their middleweight bout.

For more on the numbers from the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 236.

Joe Pyfer breaks down lessons learned in upset loss in first UFC main event

Because he “wasn’t supposed to be here anyway,” Joe Pyfer seemed to take things in stride after Jack Hermansson ended his momentum.

Because he says he “wasn’t supposed to be here anyway,” [autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag] seemed to be taking things in stride in the early hours after Jack Hermansson put a halt to his momentum.

Hermansson (24-8 MMA, 11-6 UFC) was down two rounds on the scorecards to Pyfer (12-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 236 main event, but rallied to win the last three rounds for a 48-47 unanimous decision sweep of the scorecards at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

After a much-documented arm injury TKO loss from a Dustin Stoltzfus slam on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020, Pyfer worked his way back and got another crack at the UFC on DWCS and came through with a TKO win. When he told White afterward he was on the verge of homelessness, White made sure he had a place to live for a year and then told future DWCS fighters they needed to “Be Joe Pyfer” in their attitudes and effort if they wanted to make it into the UFC.

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Pyfer’s first three middleweight fights in the UFC were stoppage wins, including for a pair of $50,000 bonuses, and it looked every bit like he was on an ascension toward title contender status – especially in a 185-pound division that never has been more chaotic in the UFC.

After his loss to Hermansson, who was the third biggest underdog on the card, Pyfer said a punch in the eye affected his vision and, along with calf kicks from Hermansson, were the stories of the fight.

“I’m OK, despite how my face looks,” Pyfer said in a video posted to social media. “I wasn’t rocked. I got punched in the eyeball (and) couldn’t see. I did a good job on the calf (kicks). But I feel like the eye, when I lost vision, I fell that round; I lost that round and just couldn’t get it back, and he did a good job on the calf.

“To all my haters, suck a fat d*ck. I wasn’t supposed to be here anyway. I give it 100 percent every time. We’ll make adjustments and we’ll come back. Thank you to all my sponsors, thank you to everybody who supports me, and yeah – good job, Jack.”

https://www.instagram.com/stories/joepyfer/3300109908035990797

The fight was the first time in his career Pyfer had been past the third round, and that time – the only previous decision of his career, win or loss – was nearly six years ago. Hermansson has more than twice as much experience as Pyfer and had been five rounds in the UFC three times prior to Saturday. But after a four-fight winning streak had him in middleweight title contention in 2019, Hermansson has alternated wins and losses for nine fights.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 236.

UFC Fight Night 236 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Multiple veterans net max non-title money

UFC Fight Night 236 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 236 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $236,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC Fight Night 236 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 236 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Andre Fili[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Robert Bryczek[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Gregory Rodrigues[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Darrius Flowers[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Rodolfo Vieira[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Armen Petrosyan[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Carlos Prates[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Trevin Giles[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Bolaji Oki[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Tim Cuamba[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Loma Lookboonmee[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Bruna Brasil[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Marcin Prachnio[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Max Griffin[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Jeremiah Wells[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Bogdan Guskov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Zac Pauga[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Hyder Amil[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Fernie Garcia[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Daniel Marcos[/autotag]: $4,000
vs. [autotag]Aori Qileng[/autotag]: $6,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2361 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $850,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $23,557,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 236.

UFC Fight Night 236 results: Jack Hermansson shifts momentum to win decision over Joe Pyfer

Jack Hermansson had trouble with Joe Pyfer early, but the veteran’s late surge led to victory in the UFC Fight Night 236 headliner.

It was tough sledding for [autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag] early, but the savvy veteran was able to shift momentum to hand Joe Pyfer his first loss in the UFC.

The middleweight bout was the UFC Fight Night 236 main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Pyfer (12-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) offered an early storm of strikes, but as the fight wore on, Hermansson (24-8 MMA, 11-6 UFC) adjusted to earn identical scores of 48-47 from the official judges.

Pyfer put Hermansson on notice early with a hard left hooks. With his confidence high, Pyfer steadily moved forward as Hermansson began to fire back with punches and leg kicks. With just over 90 seconds to go, Pyfer landed a hard overhand right that wobbled Hermansson. Pyfer didn’t rush any follow-up shots, and opted to continue to patiently play his game.

In the second round, Pyfer stuffed the first takedown offering from Hermansson. Pyfer continued to win striking exchanges for the majority of the round, but Hermansson showed some signs of adjusting defensively.

Hermansson continued to build upon his defensive reads in the third, as he landed nice counterpunches and stuffed Pyfer’s takedown attempts. Hard leg kicks found their target as well, and a clean punch to the eye caused Pyfer to think he was poked illegally.

Bloodied and bruised, Pyfer’s momentum shifted to Hermansson.

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Pyfer looked to bring the fight to the ground early in Round 4, but didn’t have success. He continued his forward-marching approach behind a left jab, but Hermansson’s takedown defense and counter game continued to shine.

With the fight seemingly tied going into the final round, Hermansson left a lasting impression by completing the first takedown of the fight in the center of the cage. Pyfer couldn’t escape from the bottom as Hermansson racked up a lot of control time while landing ground strikes.

The judges’ scores were read in Hermansson’s favor, marking a return to the winner’s circle.

During his post-fight interview, Hermansson called for the legalization of MMA in his home country of Norway. As for his next opponent, he had a name ready, and called for a matchup against Nassourdine Imavov.

Full UFC Fight Night 236 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 236.

Social media reacts to Jack Hermansson’s upset victory over Joe Pyfer at UFC Fight Night 236

The MMA community reacted to Jack Hermansson’s comeback victory over Joe Pyfer in the UFC Fight Night 236 main event.

[autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag] returned from a career-long layoff and proved he’s still relevant at middleweight when he beat [autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag] in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 236 headliner.

Hermansson (24-8 MMA, 11-6 UFC) competed for the first time since December 2022 and got his hand raised for the first time in 19 months courtesy of a unanimous decision victory over Pyfer (12-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) in the main event matchup at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Check below for the top X (formerly Twitter) reactions to Hermansson’s win over Pyfer at UFC Fight Night 236.

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UFC Fight Night 236 video: Jack Hermansson, Joe Pyfer make weight in Las Vegas

The main event for the UFC’s second of back-to-back shows in Las Vegas is official after the headliners made weight Friday.

LAS VEGAS – The main event for the UFC’s second of back-to-back shows in Las Vegas is official after the headliners made weight Friday.

Ahead of UFC Fight Night 236 (ESPN+), which takes place Saturday at the UFC host hotel in Las Vegas, [autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag] (23-8 MMA, 10-6 UFC) and [autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) stepped on the scale at the official weigh-ins.

Hermansson was the first fighter waiting for the two-hour window to open and was 185 pounds on the nose. Pyfer was right behind him and came in at 185.5 to make the fight official without any drama.

Check out the video from their trips to the scale below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 236.

Joe Pyfer predicts knockout win over Jack Hermansson, a spot in UFC middleweight rankings

Joe Pyfer sees himself knocking out Jack Hermansson at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 236.

[autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag] sees big things on his horizon – and by that, he means his return to the octagon this Saturday.

The middleweight prospect has easily his biggest career test, as he’s set to headline his first UFC event against longtime contender [autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag]. The two compete in the main event of UFC Fight Night 236, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Pyfer believes he will put away Hermansson before the final bell.

“I think I knock Jack out,” Pyfer said at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 236 media day. “He’s got a 29% takedown accuracy. I’ve watched all his videos extensively. He’s very desperate with a lot of his takedowns and I think they’re very slow. I think what you guys are going to realize is that there’s a big speed differential in Jack. There’s a big boxing differential between me and Jack.”

Pyfer was complimentary of Hermansson’s overall game, but doesn’t see any one particular aspect that sets him apart from others in the middleweight division.

“Jack is good everywhere, but not great at any one thing,” Pyfer said. “He’s got good cardio. He’s got good boxing. He’s got good kickboxing, He’s got good grappling, but I don’t see anything in that man’s skillset that will ever make him a champion or a title challenger again. I think all the pressure is on him. I think he’s a good dude outside the fight, but I don’t like him because he’s trying to take my other half, and he’s not my f*cking friend.”

Pyfer not only sees himself extending his winning streak to six in a row and maintaining his unbeaten status in the UFC, but he also believes defeating Hermansson will get him in the official UFC middleweight rankings.

“Well, on the outside, it puts me on the top 15,” Pyfer said when asked about what he’d gain with a win. “I don’t personally care where I’m ranked, but for my life and where I come from again and the odds I’ve defied. It puts me right where I’ve always believed I’ve belonged, and that’s among the best. I don’t think Jack is the best.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 236.

UFC veterans in MMA and bareknuckle action Feb. 9-10

Check out which veterans of the UFC are competing in combat sports across the globe this weekend.

This week, the UFC is in Las Vegas for UFC Fight Night 235.

The event at the UFC Apex features a middleweight bout between [autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag] and [autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag].

Many other combat sports events are taking place that feature several familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing Feb. 9-10.

Scroll below to see how the UFC veterans fared last week, and see the names and details of this weekend’s competitors.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.