It was indeed a tragedy as Joe Pyfer – the man who believed he could be the first fighter to KO Kelvin Gastelum – was forced to pull out of UFC Mexico City. But trouble seemed to find its way back to Pyfer; ‘Bodybagz’ got his gut infected and food poisoning while he was still rehydrating. Soon after the event, Pyfer released a statement on social media, where he put all the blame on Mexico City. While many dissed the middleweight prospect for his claims, Jon Anik stood in defense of ‘Bodybagz’.
During episode #544 of the Anik and Florian Podcast, the famed UFC play-by-play commentator and his co-host, Kenny Florian, sat down together to discuss a few things. The very first topic that they addressed was the misfortune that fell upon Pyfer. And it seemed like Anik had experienced Pyfer’s troubles in the past too: “You know, that’s the closest I’ve ever come to, you know, s—— my pants on live TV, right? It only happened once. It could be aging, right? I don’t know if I’ll ever be around in an arena in which I have to wear a diaper to the booth. But I just want to say, I try to keep it pretty clean with the diet and be careful over there in Mexico City, one of the greatest live event crowds I’ve ever experienced. But Kenflo, there’s something in the water, it is undeniable.”
Florian had to agree. He claimed that the entire Latin American region had similar problems. Florian recounted that his parents were from Peru and often visited Brazil. But during their visits, they had to be extra careful with the food and water, and had to choose their places to eat and stay very carefully. He said, “You know, it’s just a different way of life over there. And yeah, that’s unfortunate for Pyfer, man.” And while things didn’t really work out with Gastelum vs. Pyfer, Florian expressed how much he wanted to see the battle between the two. After all, he seemed to believe that Pyfer would have won. But Anik soon revealed that Pyfer’s problems had begun with the fighter meeting itself.
The podcaster disclosed, “I hope people will give Joe the benefit of doubt because even in our fighter meeting, he had fallen ill and recovered, and just seemed like every time he was trying to ingest anything, he couldn’t be careful with it all and he fell ill.”
Further, with disappointment running around the canceled matchup between Kelvin Gastelum and Pyfer, ‘Bodybagz’ had to reveal his opinion regarding his illness. And as discussed earlier, he put all the blame on the venue. Take a look at Pyfer’s statement below.
Joe Pyfer blames Mexico for his sickness before his bout with Kelvin Gastelum
Following the electrifying events of UFC on ESPN 64, Joe Pyfer decided to take to Instagram and release a statement about the cancellation of his fight. 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, excruciating stomach pain, and the doctor, as well as I did, didn’t find it smart to fight like that.” He further explained his decision to pull out: “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.”
While people often blame Mexico’s poor hygiene, several other factors contributed to the fighter getting food poisoning. And a major part of the blame also goes to dropping weight via dehydration. Dehydrated causes the body to crave water, and in its absence, fighters find themselves pretty vulnerable. The susceptibility to infections, especially those related to the gut, is heightened during those times. On top of that, with the loss of water weight, the MMA athletes also lose a significant amount of electrolytes from their bodies. Needless to say, this might be a major cause of concern before their fights.
What are your thoughts on Joe Pyfer’s sickness? Do you think it’s fair to blame Mexico for his illness? Comment down below.
The post “There Is Something in the Water” – Joe Pyfer’s Claim Comes True as UFC Vet Confirms Mexico Nightmare appeared first on EssentiallySports.