UFC 320: Joe Pyfer full media day interview
UFC 320 fighter Joe Pyfer spoke to MMA Junkie and reporters at media day for his main card bout vs. Abus Magomedov on Saturday in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS – Adjustments and improvements are a must in the fight game, but not just in the cage.
Many factors contribute to a successful MMA career outside the fighting itself, and that’s something rising UFC middleweight Joe Pyfer has come to find out. Pyfer (14-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC), who at times has been seen as emotional and lashing out against his critics, has had to take a step back from social media where he was exposed to the part of the MMA community that’s not on his side.
Most notably, Pyfer was under fire earlier this year after getting sick in Mexico City and having to withdraw from his fight against Kelvin Gastelum. He blamed his illness on Mexico and vowed never to return to the “sh*hole,” which were comments that did not sit well with many. Pyfer later apologized for his comments, but had already paid the price online.
“I’ve emotionally detached myself from social media, so I think kind of everything everybody says is really funny,” Pyfer said at the UFC 320 media day on Wednesday. “I’ve also said things to trigger people and piss them off, so it is what it is. I’m a blunt person, I’m an honest person. If you ask me a question, I’ll answer honestly. I’m subject to criticism, so it is what it is. You’re dammed if you do, you’re dammed if you don’t. I’m always going to be me, and I’m not shameful to be myself, and that’s why I’ve stood behind some of the things that I’ve said and that’s it.
“I’m Joe Pyfer, nobody else. I don’t have to please nobody else. I’m the one that has to put my head on the pillow, wake up, be motivated, come here and be happy, and try to make a living for myself. At the end of the day, everybody else, just like I said about a certain country, you can suck my balls. I’m me.”
Pyfer opens up the pay-per-view main card of Saturday’s UFC 320 (pay-per-view, FX/ESPNews/Disney+, ESPN+) – which takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. He takes on Abus Magomedov (28-6-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC) in a three-round middleweight bout.
Ahead of his return, “Bodybagz” couldn’t emphasize enough how important it was for him to stay off social media.
“I absolutely had to work on emotionally separating myself,” Pyfer explained. “When I got in the UFC, everybody connected with my story and were really happy about me. When you fast-forward to now, because I’ve said some things that people don’t like, because you have to remember, in the beginning you’re grateful and all these things, and I’m still grateful, but now I have to get in the business side of it. Now I have to fight these people and say these things and talk about opponents. It’s hard to talk about opponents. I don’t like somebody that’s trying to beat my ass and take money from me. If i lose, I don’t make money. So I’m an intense person, but I had to emotionally detach myself, and that took a little bit of time.”
For Pyfer, part of not caring about what his critics had to say came down to how he views those people. He believes many fans and media don’t have the credentials to talk bout fighting.
“The way that I did that is, I don’t know any of these people that are talking sh*t,” Pyfer said. “I know that most of the people are eating Cheetos like my man in the orange here, and they say negative sh*t about fighters, and we cut weight and train 24/7. I’ve been doing this sh*t since I’ve been four and a half years old, so what the f*ck do I care that a reporter has something to say or a fan has something to say?”
