Joe Pyfer has confirmed the reason for his last-minute withdrawal from his scheduled UFC Mexico main card fight against Kelvin Gastelum.
The UFC announced Pyfer`s removal from the Fight Night event at Arena CDMX in Mexico City just hours before it was set to begin, citing illness as the cause. Shortly after, Pyfer shared a statement on his Instagram story, expressing his regret and declaring he will no longer fight outside of the United States.
“I’m heartbroken that I couldn’t compete today,” Pyfer stated. “I became very ill and hopefully we can reschedule this fight in the coming weeks. Unfortunately, this is a risk of traveling internationally. I apologize to everyone. We will be back.”
Pyfer`s UFC record stands at 4 wins and 1 loss, with his only defeat coming 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 over Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC 303 this past June, finishing the fight in just 85 seconds.
Gastelum was also set to return to competition after a nine-month hiatus. His last fight was a victory over Daniel Rodriguez at UFC Saudi Arabia, where he won by decision.
