Sometimes, fighters avoid fighting in certain countries for their own reasons, but Joe Pyfer‘s latest gripe with all of Mexico might be at the top of the list. Here’s the thing, Pyfer did not receive a hostile welcome from the fans or lose a close decision on the scorecards to a hometown opponent. That would have made sense because fighters like Valentina Shevchenko and Sean Strickland have claimed to lose on away soil for similar reasons. No. Pyfer’s issue took a different route – one that literally went through his digestive tract!
Pyfer was set to go up against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Mexico City on 29 March 2025. However, an upset gut forced him out of the fight just a few hours before the event. Needless to say, Pyfer was not happy about it. But blaming Mexican food for his sickness wasn’t something that fight fans expected him to do. Needless to say, the reactions were spicier than whatever Pyfer ate the night before.
Taking to Instagram after the event, ‘Bodybagz’ shared a Story where he ranted about his illness. He revealed that it all happened because of a team dinner at a Mexican place, which the team seemed to have trusted. And the worst thing? The dinner was planned while he was still hydrating. Heat, combined with a dehydrated body, is indeed the perfect target for food poisoning. It’s one of the most vulnerable stages of the gut. And one badly calculated move could put some significant tasks at risk.
He said, “Went to a team dinner, had some food at a place that was supposedly trusted, and yeah – a couple hours later, I had the runs. I think I s— at least 10, 11 times. I went from I think 209 pounds, something like that, as I was still hydrating, down to 194 pounds the morning of with a puddle I was sleeping in, a fever, nausea obviously, vomit, excrutiating stomach pain, and the doctor, as well as I did, didn’t find it smart to fight like that. And I know that’s not what everybody wants, but I have to look out for me and my health, and what’s my best interest.”
But Pyfer wasn’t done. He claimed that he did everything right. He even slept in a tent and on the floor to acclimatize himself for the big fight against Gastelum. Pyfer went on to address the ones who believed that it was all because of altitude sickness, claiming that he wasn’t a “geographic” or “elevation scientist”. He was told that if he acclimatized himself for 2 months, he could definitely compete. He did everything right. But failed with one major aspect of the preparation. He ate at a place that he wasn’t supposed to. And that sent everything else tumbling down. Quite literally. But the crazy thing is that his UFC career has been plagued with health issues.
Back before his UFC 303 prelim fight against Marc-Andre Barriault, Pyfer had a severe allergic reaction to flaxseeds; they were in the oatmeal he ate, something he was oblivious to. Lucky for him, he was able to inform Jeff Novitzky, get the necessary medication, and perform at the event. He won via KO too. But fortune did not favor him this time.
Well, Pyfer seemed done with Mexico. He said, “I don’t care if it’s offensive to you, I will never go back to that country… If that’s what altitude and elevation is, f— that country. I will never fight there again. S— hole. Not going back. Don’t care if that’s offensive to you. You’re not the one fighting. Suck my b—-.”
Soon, Full Send MMA shared Pyfer’s words on their Instagram profile. And the fighting community took to the comments section to reveal their thoughts. Needless to say, the fans were not too thrilled to see him blaming something he could have avoided.
Fans share hard-to-stomach advice for Joe Pyfer
Most of the fans believed that Pyfer didn’t have a strong gut. Of course, his gastrointestinal tract was vulnerable after losing water weight and being dehydrated. The first thing that Pyfer should have done was to hydrate himself well enough before taking in something well-seasoned and spicy. Nevertheless, the netizens decided to take a few jibes at the middleweight contender. One of the fans wrote, “Poor little American guts couldn’t handle real food.” Another fan pointed out, “Weak stomach couldn’t handle the beans and rice.”
Talking bad about Mexico was the one thing that Pyfer did, which triggered quite a bit of fans. One of them claimed, “I mean people get food poisoning in the US too lol. Wild take by him.” Another enraged fan commented, “Talking like it was the country that did something to you really grinds my gears.”
Meanwhile, many others seemed to believe that it was an avoidable situation. All Pyfer had to do was restrain himself till the fight was done. One fan weighed in on this and quoted, “The ufc gives you meals…next time get your meals from them. This is completely avoidable.” Eating out right before a fight was something that he shouldn’t have done, and the fans knew it pretty well. One fan wrote, “Bro what kinda professional is eating random a– food from unknown places the night before his fight. He clearly ain’t locked in like he should be anyways.” Another fan added, “Maybe don’t eat at a restaurant the night before a fight.”
What are your thoughts on Pyfer’s social media rant? What’s your take on Mexican food? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.
The post Mexican Fans Claim Joe Pyfer’s “Poor Little American Guts Couldn’t Handle Real Food” After UFC Star’s Bizarre Meltdown appeared first on EssentiallySports.