Latest news with #Pyfer
USA Today
6 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC 316: Kelvin Gastelum vs. Joe Pyfer odds, picks and predictions
UFC 316: Kelvin Gastelum vs. Joe Pyfer odds, picks and predictions In a 3-round middleweight bout on the main card, Kelvin Gastelum and Joe Pyfer meet Saturday at UFC 316 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The main event is expected to start approximately at 11:15 p.m. ET. The early prelims are slated to begin at 6 p.m. ET (ESPN+ / Disney+) with the prelims scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (ESPN / ESPN+ / Disney+) and the main card set for 10 p.m. ET (Pay-Per-View). Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's UFC odds around the UFC 316: Gastelum vs. Pyfer odds, and make our expert UFC picks and predictions. Records: Gastelum (20-9-0) | Pyfer (13-3-0) Gastelum last fought almost a year ago when he claimed a unanimous-decision victory against Daniel Rodriguez June 22, 2024. It was a nice bounceback for Gastelum as he suffered a submission loss to Sean Brady Dec. 2, 2023. Gastelum is 3-6 in his past 9 fights dating back to April 2019 when he lost a title bout to Israel Adesanya at UFC 236. Pyfer also hasn't fought since last June when he picked up a Round 1 KO/TKO victory over Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC 303, rebounding from a unanimous-decision setback to Jack Hermansson in a Fight Night main event in February 2024. Pyfer is 5-1 in his last 6 bouts since July 2022. The veteran Gastelum heads into this fight as a big underdog. He gives away 4 inches in reach and is 5 years older than Pyfer. The significant strikes landed per minute is basically even with Gastelum at 3.74 and Pyfer at 3.72. Gastelum has a 46.66% significant strikes accuracy percentage, while Pyfer is at 41.95%. The 28-year-old Pyfer has managed a 1.45 takedown average, while Gastelum checks in at 1.10 in the category. On submission average, Pyfer has a 0.87 mark in the category, while Gastelum has posted just a 0.10 mark in that area. UFC 316: Gastelum vs. Pyfer odds Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:46 a.m. ET. Fight result (2-way line) : Gastelum +310 (bet $100 to win $310) | Pyfer -400 (bet $400 to win $100) : Gastelum +310 (bet $100 to win $310) | Pyfer -400 (bet $400 to win $100) Total Rounds: 2.5 Rounds (Over -135 | Under +100) 2.5 Rounds (Over -135 | Under +100) Will the fight go the distance? (Yes -105 | No -130) UFC 316: Gastelum vs. Pyfer picks and predictions Backing Pyfer (-400) will cost 4 times the potential return. That's way too much risk for a singular bet. Even if you were to toss the -400 into a multi-leg parlay, it chips away a lot of value from your betslip. Pyfer is a punching machine and is tremendous in finding ways to get the knockout. On the flip side, Gastelum is on the downside of his career, dropping 6 of the past 9 bouts (as mentioned). While Gastelum hasn't been knocked out in his career, going 6-0 via the method, eating punches at a rapid rate, whether he is knocked out or not, will leave a bad taste in the mouths of the judges. Backing PYFER BY DECISION/TECHNICAL DECISION (+150) at plus-money is a much better value on the 7-way method of victory line. Play our free daily Pick'em Challenge and win! Play now! OVER 2.5 ROUNDS (-135) is a strong play, as Gastelum has the chops as a veteran to hang around even if he is eating punches and falling behind on points in the eyes of the judges. Pyfer should be able to do much more to get in favor of the judges. For distance, that's neither here nor there, however. He can win via KO/TKO, and via submission, but Gastelum's defense is solid, and his veteran leadership will at least help him hang around to let the judges decide. YES (-105): FIGHT TO GO THE DISTANCE is a good play at near even-money. Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis. For more sports betting picks and tips, check out and BetFTW. Follow Daniel Dobish on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and us on Facebook.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Joe Pyfer: Bo Nickal 'got fraud checked' in first UFC loss
Joe Pyfer: Bo Nickal 'got fraud checked' in first UFC loss Show Caption Hide Caption UFC 316: Joe Pyfer media day interview UFC 316 fighter Joe Pyfer spoke to MMA Junkie and reporters at media day for his featured bout vs. Kelvin Gastelum on Saturday in Newark, N.J. MORRISTOWN, N.J. – Bo Nickal caught a stray during UFC 316 media day. Despite not being on the card, Nickal's name surfaced unprompted by fellow UFC middleweight Joe Pyfer, who fights Kelvin Gastelum on the pay-per-view main card of UFC 316 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) this Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark. Pyfer said Nickal was "fraud checked" in his first professional loss last month against Reinier de Ridder. Pyfer (13-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) mentioned Nickal in reference to some people questioning his chances against Gastelum (20-9 MMA, 13-9 UFC) due to the nature of his first UFC defeat, which came last year vs. Jack Hermansson. "I think a lot of people go off my Jack Hermanson fight, which is fine," Pyfer told MMA Junkie at UFC 316 media day. "But that was my first big show, my first big test, walked into it not 100 percent, I had some things going on. It wasn't my best performance, but I didn't get rocked. I didn't get dropped, I didn't get submitted, I didn't get fraud checked. Let's redefine what fraud checked is. If anyone got fraud checked, we can say it's Bo Nickal. He got finished in his first loss. I lost a split decision basically, three rounds to two." Pyfer feels more than ready to defeat the best version of Gastelum for his second win in a row. He's confident he'll have an answer for everything Gastelum could offer. "I trained for the Kelvin that fought Izzy, the guy that's going to be in your face, the guy that has the cardio to go hard 15 minutes, so I'm training for the best version of Kelvin," Pyfer said "I also thought in my personal opinion that KG has done his better work at 185. He's not going to be as sucked out at '70 obviously. I still think that there's a huge power difference between us. I think that there's a big skill difference between us as far as me being more complete."
USA Today
29-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Joe Pyfer considers Kelvin Gastelum fight 'one of them layups,' stands by Mexico insults
Joe Pyfer considers Kelvin Gastelum fight 'one of them layups,' stands by Mexico insults Joe Pyfer sees a big incentive in beating Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 316. Pyfer (13-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) vs. Gastelum (19-9 MMA, 13-9 UFC) was rebooked for June 7 in Newark, N.J. The pair were originally scheduled to fight at UFC on ESPN 64 in Mexico City this past March, but the bout was scrapped after Pyfer withdrew from the fight hours before due to illness. 'No, I was scared that I wasn't going to be able to run it back with him, man," Pyfer said on "The Ariel Helwani Show." "I think this is a great opportunity for me. I think this fight is kind of one of them layups for me to really perform, and it's no discredit to him. I have respect for him. I haven't heard him say anything, to my knowledge, of him talking sh*t, or I'd have a different demeanor. But I think he's been respectful. I think I've been respectful of him, and I've trained my ass off for him." Gastelum hasn't been performing like the fighter who once pushed Israel Adesanya to the brink, but his durability has held on. Pyfer wants to test his chin. "I've literally had f*cking double dreams of everything," Pyfer said. "Every scenario, I've had a double f*cking dream. I'm just tired of picturing his fat-ass f*cking face in my brain every f*cking day. I'm over it. I'm just ready to do the dance. I'm ready to throw down. He's an exciting guy, I'm an exciting guy. Obviously I'm the prospect. He's the vet. ... I want to be the first guy to knock him out, man, just quite frankly. I know I can do it." Pyfer stands by calling Mexico 'sh*thole' When Pyfer pulled out of his first fight with Gastelum, he labeled Mexico as a "sh*thole" country and vowed to never return again. He didn't walk back his comments when addressing what happened. "Look at it this way: I don't have to go into specifics, but if the country was so great, we wouldn't have so many problems,' Pyfer said. "What I said was misconstrued. I said, 'If that's what fighting in that country is, then f*ck that place, it's a sh*thole,' and so on and so forth. I don't understand why we would risk fighting there. The risk is so great. I got sick twice, and I never said anything about it. "There's people who still have side effects. 'DC' went on and said, 'Man, my stomach was messed up, I hate that place,' and nobody gave him sh*t for it. I'm a little bit more unapologetic. It's nothing towards the people. The people were fine. I had nothing bad to say about the people. It's just as far as fighting there, fighting at that elevation, fighting at that altitude, why would I risk that?"
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Brandon Moreno responds to Joe Pyfer's degrading comments toward Mexico, says feeling is 'mutual'
Joe Pyfer had a rough recent trip across the border to fight at UFC Mexico City. Booked to fight Kelvin Gastelum at the March 29 event, Pyfer's middleweight tilt was ultimately cancelled after a last-minute illness prevented him from competing. The Philadelphia native then took to social media, stating he had severe nausea that resulted in vomiting and sweating throughout the night, as well as "at least 10 or 11" trips to the bathroom. In doing so, Pyfer also took out his frustrations on Mexico. 'I don't care if it's offensive to you, I will never go back to that country,' Pyfer ranted. 'I did everything right. I slept in a tent. I did all this work to still get sick. Some people are saying it wasn't the food, saying I got altitude sickness. I'm not a f***ing geographic f***ing, you know, elevation f***ing scientist, but I was told as long as I acclimated, which I did for two months, slept in a tent on the f***ing floor — you know, I did everything that I could to prepare. Advertisement '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 balls. Literally.' Pyfer's fight against Gastelum has since been rebooked for June 7 at UFC 316 in Newark, New Jersey. While Pyfer's trip to Mexico didn't go according to plan, former two-time UFC flyweight champion Moreno can't relate — he scored a big unanimous decision win over Steve Erceg in UFC Mexico City's main event. As a proud Mexico-born fighter, Moreno is well aware of Pyfer's comments. "The only thing I can say is, it's fine. We don't need him, as well. It's mutual," Moreno said Wednesday on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show." Advertisement After his latest performance, Moreno is back on a UFC win streak for the first time since his second title run in 2023. And with this year's annual Noche UFC event set to take place in Guadalajara — marking the first time the UFC's annual Independence Day celebration will be held in Mexico — a spot on the card would be a dream come true for Moreno. "The Assassin Baby" has yet to be a part of a Noche UFC card and called for his chance after beating Erceg. Despite some minor foot swelling from his latest fight, the five-month gap until September is a perfect timeline for Moreno. It all comes down to whether or not he gets the title shot he desires. "I would love to fight for the title in front of my people," Moreno said. "I think those kind of moments are those kind of moments where you can be a legend in one moment. Win the title in front of my people in Mexico — that would be awesome to me, for my legacy, for my career. "The [flyweight] division is very weird right now. Manel Kape is going to fight against [Brandon] Royval, and [Kai Kara-]France, let's see what happens, if he's going to fight [UFC champion Alexandre] Pantoja in the future. Brother, I'll just be ready for whatever." Advertisement Pantoja's current reign as flyweight champion began with a thrilling split decision over Moreno in 2023. The loss was Moreno's second to his Brazilian rival — really, third if you include their exhibition bout on "The Ultimate Fighter 24." Moreno also holds two wins over the division's potential next challenger, Kara-France. So if Kara-France is indeed next in line, Moreno will be watching closely, hoping that either Pantoja or the New Zealander can turn around to fight him in September. "It's hard to go against Pantoja because he's doing a really good job, right?" Moreno said. "He has this really crazy ability to survive. He finds a way. Sometimes he looks tired with his body or face, but he finds a way to survive the fight, and that's why he's the champion right now. Obviously, the possibility Kai Kara-France has right now, he has more experience than when he fought against [Pantoja] in 'The Ultimate Fighter,' and man, the guy has a lot of power. We saw that against Erceg and other fighters. "I remember my last fight against him, he hit me hard in the third round, but it's hard to go against Pantoja at this point."
USA Today
07-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Following UFC Mexico cancellation, Kelvin Gastelum vs. Joe Pyfer rebooked for UFC 316
It looks like second time might be the charm for Kelvin Gastelum vs. Joe Pyfer. The middleweight bout, which was originally scheduled to go down at UFC Mexico a little more than a week ago, has been rebooked for UFC 316 on June 7 in Newark, N.J. MMA Junkie confirmed the news following an announcement by Pyfer's head coach on MMA on SiriusXM on Monday. Gastelum (19-9 MMA, 13-9 UFC) and Pyfer (13-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) were supposed to fight on the main card of UFC on ESPN 64 in Mexico City on March 29, but Pyfer withdrew from the fight hours before the card due to illness. He blamed Mexico for food poisoning and vowed to never return to the 'sh*thole' country. Gastelum looks to keep the momentum going following a unanimous decision win over Daniel Rodriguez at UFC on ABC 6 on June 22. Pyfer beat Marc-Andre Barriault in 85 seconds and earned his third Performance of the Night bonus for the highlight moment in his most recent fight. For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC 316.
