With a win over Kelvin Gastelum in hand, Joe Pyfer back tracks on his controversial comments of Mexico.
UFC 316: Joe Pyfer post-fight interview
UFC 316 winner Joe Pyfer spoke to MMA Junkie and reporters post-fight after his unanimous decision victory over Kelvin Gastelum.
NEWARK, N.J. – Joe Pyfer back tracked on the comments that got in hot water with many of the fans ahead of his bout against Kelvin Gastelum.
Pyfer (14-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC), who was critical of Mexico and called the country a “sh*thole” after getting sick and pulling out of his original booking with Gastelum in Mexico City in March, apologized to the Mexican fan base for the way he went about things following the conclusion of UFC 316. Pyfer defeated Gastelum (20-10 MMA, 13-10 UFC) by unanimous decision this past Saturday in their re-scheduled bout. The fight was part of the pay-per-view main card of UFC 316, which took place at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
“Ultimately, things did not go well, PR-wise, for me in Mexico,” Pyfer said at his UFC 316 post-fight news 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.”
Pyfer was not only critical of what he said in the build up to the fight, but also of his own performance on Saturday. He promised to be the first person to KO Gastleum, and wasn’t able to come through with his prediction.
“I really thought he was going to come forward more,” Pyfer said. “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 neverending job of improvement and skill-building and base-building.
“But f*ck it – I got the win, and I got two checks and I beat a guy who fought for the title and is getting inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, deservedly so.”
