Life has never been a bed of roses for Joe Pyfer! From a young age, he has faced one hardship after another—enduring mental abuse from his father and undergoing multiple back surgeries. Fighting is all he knows, whether it’s inside the cage or against life’s relentless challenges. Through it all, one person who stepped up to help was Dana White. After Pyfer’s win on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022, the UFC CEO famously told him, “Be Joe Pyfer,” and even paid his rent—recognizing the fighter’s unmatched resilience and determination.
Despite his unwavering spirit, even Pyfer isn’t immune to life’s curveballs. After earning back-to-back wins in the UFC and building momentum in his career, he has now hit another slump. Pyfer was set to face Kelvin Gastelum on Saturday’s UFC Mexico main card, feeling the healthiest he’d ever been heading into a fight. But fate had other plans. Just hours before the bout, the 185fer was struck down by severe food poisoning, forcing him to withdraw at the last minute.
He has now released a statement in which he talked about his health woes. “I wanted to jump on here and address what happened. So I went to my team dinner, and I did not drink the water. I hadn’t drunk the water the whole time I was out there. I went to my team dinner, had some food at a place that was supposedly trusted, and yeah, a couple of hours later, I had the runs, I think I had sh-t at least 10 to 11 times. I went from I think 209 lbs, something like that, as I was dehydrating down to 194 lbs the morning of with the puddle that I was sleeping in, a fever.”
In the long video, he also confessed that he did not regret his decision to take care of his health first. After giving a detailed update of his health, he also threw in a jibe at Mexico City and vowed never to fight in the country since he followed every necessary protocol but still couldn’t make the cut when it mattered the most. So, what is the next step for Pyfer now?
More to Follow…
The post “I Sh*t at Least 10–11 Times” – After Forcing Dana White’s Hand, Joe Pyfer Comes Clean on Pulling Out of UFC Mexico City Fight Due to Food Poisoning appeared first on EssentiallySports.
