Bo Nickal recently suffered a TKO loss to Reinier de Ridder at UFC Des Moines, and Joe Pyfer claims it’s about time it happened.
The two middleweight fighters made strong impressions on Dana White’s Contender Series and had been off to solid starts in their careers until they both recently suffered defeat. Pyfer lost a unanimous decision to veteran Jack Hermansson, but he is set to face Kelvin Gastelum, while Nickal awaits his next booking after losing to former two-division ONE Championship titleholder Reinier de Ridder.
In a recent media promo ahead of UFC 315, Pyfer was asked how he felt about going up against Gastelum and used the opportunity to take a shot at Nickal.
“As far as me being more complete [than Gastelum], I think a lot of people go off my Jack Hermansson fight, which is fine, but that was my first big show,” Pyfer said Wednesday. “My first big test. Walked into it not 100 percent, had some things going on, and it wasn’t my best performance, but I didn’t get rocked, I didn’t get dropped, I didn’t get ‘fraud checked.’ So let’s redefine what ‘fraud checked’ is.
“If anybody got fraud checked, we can say it’s Bo Nickal. He got finished on his first loss. I lost basically a split decision, three rounds to two. But yeah, I’m prepared for the KG of old.”
“I think Kelvin, just my opinion, I think Kelvin’s afraid of my power early, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he wrestles to try and tire me out,” Pyfer said. “So we’re more than prepared. I think I have very underrated grappling, very underrated wrestling. I think the only negative people can go off of with my game in that regard is just the fifth round against Jack because I was f*cking exhausted—in a five-round fight, my first five-round fight. I’ll be good.”
If Pyfer wins his fight, a possible matchup with Nickal may be on the horizon, but he remains focused on winning his upcoming bout. Known for his impressive finishing ability, a KO win might put him on the map—and in the long run, earn him a title shot.
“Listen, I know I can finish him,” Pyfer said. “There’s no question. If my power touches his chin, I can fold anybody in this division. That’s a fact, that’s just what I believe—and I believe it’s a fact. You can’t take the kind of shots—especially if I’m sitting on my shots—I’m going to hurt you. At the very least, hurt you, and it will lead to a finish.
“Ultimately, my job is to go out there and win. I would love to get a finish over KG, but like I said, I’m prepared for 15 minutes. That’s what I put in my mind, but make no mistake, I will be trying to cause damage and I will be trying to get him out of there. Just because he hasn’t been finished by TKO or KO in the cage doesn’t mean it can’t happen. Same thing goes for me—obviously, there’s a first time for everything—but I’m really confident in my skills and my preparation, and I think I’ll be able to get him out of there, some way, one way or another.”
