American mixed martial artist (born 1996)
Joseph Oliver Pyfer (born September 17, 1996) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Background
Raised in Pittsgrove Township, New Jersey , Pyfer attended Arthur P. Schalick High School and started competing on the school's wrestling team in tenth grade, where he was able to apply jiu jitsu and judo skills he learned as a child.[ 3]
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Pyfer made his professional MMA debut in his home town of Philadelphia in May 2018. He won his debut and competed seven more times and went 7–1, winning the AOWCF and ROC Middleweight Championship along the way. Eight fights into his MMA career, Pyfer would have his first bout in the Dana White's Contender Series .[ 4]
Dana White's Contender Series
Pyfer faced Dustin Stoltzfus at Dana White's Contender Series 28 on August 11, 2020. He lost the fight via technical knockout due to an injury stemming from a slam.[ 5]
Pyfer faced Ozzy Diaz at Dana White's Contender Series 47 on July 26, 2022. He won the bout via technical knockout and was awarded a contract with the UFC.[ 5]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Making his UFC debut, Pyfer faced Alen Amedovski on September 17, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 210 .[ 6] He won the fight via technical knockout in round one. This fight earned him his first Performance of the Night award.[ 7] [ 8]
Pyfer faced Gerald Meerschaert on April 8, 2023, at UFC 287 .[ 9] He won the bout via TKO in the first round.[ 10]
Pyfer faced Abdul Razak Alhassan on October 7, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 229 .[ 11] He won the fight via technical submission in the second round after rendering Alhassan unconscious with an arm-triangle choke. This fight earned him his second Performance of the Night award.[ 12] [ 13]
Pyfer faced Jack Hermansson on February 10, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 236 .[ 14] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[ 15]
Pyfer faced Marc-André Barriault on June 29, 2024 at UFC 303 .[ 16] He won the fight by knockout in the first round.[ 17] This fight earned him another Performance of the Night award.[ 18]
Pyfer is scheduled to face Kelvin Gastelum on March 29, 2025 at UFC on ESPN 64 .[ 19]
Professional grappling career
Pyfer faced Gerald Meerschaert in the main event of Fury Pro Grappling 7 on May 27, 2023.[ 20] He won the match by unanimous decision.[ 21]
Pyfer faced Nick Willey at Fury Pro Grappling 12 on December 28, 2024. He won the match by golden score in overtime.[ 22]
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Art of War Cage Fighting
AOWCF Middleweight Championship (One time)
Ring of Combat
ROC Middleweight Championship (One time)
Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
16 matches
13 wins
3 losses
By knockout
9
1
By submission
3
1
By decision
1
1
Res.
Record
Opponent
Method
Event
Date
Round
Time
Location
Notes
Win
13–3
Marc-André Barriault
KO (punches)
UFC 303
June 29, 2024
1
1:25
Las Vegas, Nevada , United States
Performance of the Night.
Loss
12–3
Jack Hermansson
Decision (unanimous)
UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Pyfer
February 10, 2024
5
5:00
Las Vegas, Nevada , United States
Win
12–2
Abdul Razak Alhassan
Technical Submission (arm-triangle choke)
UFC Fight Night: Dawson vs. Green
October 7, 2023
2
2:05
Las Vegas, Nevada , United States
Performance of the Night.
Win
11–2
Gerald Meerschaert
TKO (punches)
UFC 287
April 8, 2023
1
3:15
Miami, Florida , United States
Win
10–2
Alen Amedovski
TKO (punches)
UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Song
September 17, 2022
1
3:55
Las Vegas, Nevada , United States
Performance of the Night.
Win
9–2
Osman Diaz
TKO (punches)
Dana White's Contender Series 47
July 26, 2022
2
1:39
Las Vegas, Nevada , United States
Win
8–2
Austin Trotman
KO (punch)
CFFC 104
December 17, 2021
2
2:55
Atlantic City, New Jersey , United States
Loss
7–2
Dustin Stoltzfus
TKO (elbow injury)
Dana White's Contender Series 28
August 11, 2020
1
4:21
Las Vegas, Nevada , United States
Win
7–1
Chase Gamble
TKO (punches)
Ring of Combat 71
February 21, 2020
2
1:04
Atlantic City, New Jersey , United States
Loss
6–1
Jhonoven Pati
Submission (guillotine choke)
Ring of Combat 70
November 23, 2019
2
1:00
Atlantic City, New Jersey , United States
Lost the ROC Middleweight Championship.
Win
6–0
Matt Foster
TKO (punches)
Ring of Combat 69
September 13, 2019
1
1:07
Atlantic City, New Jersey , United States
Won the vacant ROC Middleweight Championship.
Win
5–0
Elijah Gbollie
KO (elbow and punch)
Ring of Combat 68
May 31, 2019
2
1:36
Atlantic City, New Jersey , United States
Win
4–0
Eric Roncoroni
Submission (rear-naked choke)
Art of War Cage Fighting 11
February 16, 2019
1
4:53
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , United States
Won the vacant AOWCF Middleweight Championship.
Win
3–0
Lorenzo Hunt
Technical Submission (rear-naked choke)
Art of War Cage Fighting 8
October 5, 2018
1
3:47
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , United States
Win
2–0
Derek Wilson
Decision (unanimous)
CES MMA 52
August 17, 2018
3
5:00
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , United States
Catchweight (190 lb) bout.
Win
1–0
Steven Covington
TKO (punches)
Art of War Cage Fighting 7
May 18, 2018
1
2:40
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , United States
Middleweight debut.
See also
References
^ "Joe Pyfer MMA Fighter Page" . Tapology . Retrieved 6 March 2024 .
^ Noecker, Jake (18 May 2023). "Joe Pyfer Featured In New "Journey To The UFC" Documentary, Talks Childhood Trauma" . Cageside Press . Retrieved 23 February 2024 .
^ Pawling, Chris. "Schalick High School wrestler Joe Pyfer having immediate impact" , South Jersey Times , January 13, 2013. Accessed February 7, 2024. "Schalick High School sophomore Joe Pyfer is in his first year of wrestling — ever.... Pyfer started training with mixed martial arts, particularly jiu jitsu and judo, when he was 4 years old."
^ Sherdog.com. "Joseph Pyfer" . Sherdog . Retrieved 6 February 2024 .
^ a b Farah Hannoun (12 August 2020). "Dustin Stoltzfus happy with Dana White's praise but acknowledges he has much to prove" . MMAjunkie.com .
^ Anderson, Jay (30 July 2022). "Joseph Pyfer vs. Alen Amedovski Announced for UFC Card on Sept. 17" . Cageside Press . Retrieved 1 August 2022 .
^ a b Staff (17 September 2022). "UFC Fight Night 210 bonuses: Gregory Rodrigues lived up to his nickname for extra $50,000" . mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 18 September 2022 .
^ Bitter, Shawn (17 September 2022). "UFC Vegas 60: Joe Pyfer Knocks Out Alen Amedovski In Debut" . Cageside Press . Retrieved 18 September 2022 .
^ Mike Bohn (25 January 2023). "Joe Pyfer gets second octagon assignment vs. Gerald Meerschaert at UFC 287" . mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 25 January 2023 .
^ Dewar, Val (8 April 2023). "UFC 287: Joe Pyfer Drops, Finishes Gerald Meerschaert in Impressive Sophomore Effort" . Cageside Press . Retrieved 9 April 2023 .
^ Calhoun, Curtis (24 August 2023). "Joe Pyfer set for October 14 UFC return, Opponent Revealed" . Mma News | Ufc News, Results & Interviews . Retrieved 24 July 2023 .
^ Dewar, Val (7 October 2023). "UFC Vegas 80: Joe Pyfer Improves to 3-0 in UFC, Submits Abdul Razak Alhassan" . Cageside Press . Retrieved 8 October 2023 .
^ a b Matthew Wells (7 October 2023). "UFC Fight Night 229 bonuses: Be Joe Pyfer, win $50K" . mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 8 October 2023 .
^ "Joe Pyfer gets first UFC main event, meets Jack Hermansson in February" . MMA Junkie . 23 November 2023. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023 .
^ Anderson, Jay (11 February 2024). "UFC Vegas 86: Jack Hermansson Overcomes Early Onslaught, Proves Too Much for Joe Pyfer" . Cageside Press . Retrieved 11 February 2024 .
^ Neil Davidson (17 April 2024). "Robertson, Barriault add Canadian content to Conor McGregor comeback UFC 303 card" . The Hamilton Spectator . The Canadian Press. ISSN 1189-9417 . Retrieved 17 April 2024 .
^ Bryson Hester (29 June 2024). "UFC 303: Joe Pyfer Demolishes Marc-André Barriault" . cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 29 June 2024 .
^ a b Chris Taylor (29 June 2024). "UFC 303 Bonus Report: Alex Pereira one of six fighters to take home $50k" . bjpenn.com. Retrieved 29 June 2024 .
^ "Report - Joe Pyfer Lands Fight With Ex-Title Challenger In Huge UFC Mexico City Return In March" . www.lowkickmma.com . 31 December 2024. Retrieved 1 January 2025 .
^ Rogers, Kian. "Gerald Meerschaert Steps In To Compete At Fury Pro Grappling 7" . Jits Magazine . Retrieved 29 December 2024 .
^ "Fury Pro Grappling 7 Full Results And Review" . Jits Magazine . Retrieved 29 December 2024 .
^ "Fury Pro Grappling 12 Full Results And Highlights" . Jits Magazine . Retrieved 29 December 2024 .
External links