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. Pyfer addressed a couple of things in detail in his long Instagram video. Firstly, he gave an update on his health, saying that previously he had nausea, vomiting, and ‘excruciating stomach pain,’ so the doctor stopped him from fighting in this dire condition.

Since this is not his first rodeo with hardships or bad health conditions, he took it positively, saying, “it is what it is”. But is monologue did not end there as ‘Bodybagz’ gave a stern warning to his haters. He said, ” And if you guys one of those people out there spread negativity like this hasn’t been my whole life for everything that I have worked for, you can blow me I don’t give a fu—about your opinions and yeah fu—it we march on.” He even mentioned that the altitude was not the problem and threw in a jibe at Mexico. He ended the video by saying, “I acclimated which I did for 2 months slept in a tent and on the fu—floor. You know I did everything I could to prepare. And if that’s what altitude and elevation are fu—that country I will never fight there again. Shi—hole not going back, don’t care if that’s offensive to you. You’re not the one fighting.” Meanwhile it looks like Kevin Gastelum’s apprehension of fighting Pyfer saved him from actually clashing against the latter.

Kevin Gastelum was not sure about fighting Pyfer

Gastelum claimed that he got most amount of success in the 185-pound category. The 36-year-old was hoping to get a fight against a ranked opponent as well. However, he was then pitted against Joe Pyfer, and Gastelum was not so sure anymore.

“At first, I was a little bothered by the matchup, just because he’s not someone that I was looking for in a fight. He’s not on my radar. I wanted someone ranked. I wanted someone with a bigger name,” Kelvin Gastelum explained during the media day.

He further stated, “But you know what? I feel like this is a big test for me. I’ve got to start from the bottom again. I’ve got to fight these young killers, and that’s what I’m here to do.” However, he was eventually ready for the fight and even partied before his fight in Mexico with Henry Cejudo. Fortunately, he did not fall sick, but his opponent did, and the fight got cancelled.

However, now that he missed the opportunity, he was open to fighting Pyfer again, so maybe the bossman might rebook the fight? Who knows? What do you think Pyfer’s future holds? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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.



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