UFC middleweight Joe Pyfer called Mexico a “sh*thole” and vowed never to fight there again after police shakedowns and food poisoning spoiled a recent trip.
Pyfer defeated Kelvin Gastelum this past weekend at UFC 316 in his native New Jersey. However, the fight was initially scheduled to take place in Mexico City on March 29. But just hours ahead of his scheduled tilt against Gastelum, Pyfer informed UFC officials that he was “super sick,” and the fight was rescheduled.
Why was Pyfer “super sick?”
“Fourteen out of the 15 meals, I cooked. I didn’t cook on the last day, and I got super sick and I was sick for weeks,” Pyfer told reporters at a June 4 press conference.
The New Jersey native said he lost 14 pounds in only seven hours. As a result of his decision to pull out, Pyfer said he received a torrent of threats, which prompted him to speak out.
“That’s why I said Mexico is a sh*thole and I’ll never go back. I won’t fight there, but the people were nice. I have no problem with the people. It’s just fighting there as a professional athlete makes no f*cking sense to me. That’s just my personal opinion.”
Pyfer added that he and his coaches were also shaken down by cops “for cash that they didn’t have.” The Jersey-born fighter believes his observations on the state of things in Mexico were objectively true and doesn’t understand why anyone would disagree.
“Why anybody would dispute that it’s not the best country; all we have to do is look at how many people have crossed the border in who knows how many f*cking years, like, come on man. Don’t act like it’s such a great place. It’s ran by gangs … and law enforcement’s paid off by gangs. It’s not that great of a place.”
Pyfer dominated Gastelum when they eventually fought, whether that made him more diplomatic is unknown. Still, the up-and-coming UFC middleweight sounded a slightly more conciliatory tone during his UFC 316 post-fight press conference.
“Ultimately, things did not go well, PR-wise, for me in Mexico,” Pyfer conceded, while again stressing that his remarks were not directed at the Mexican people or culture.
“I should’ve rephrased it a lot kinder, and I didn’t, so it is what it is. But I do stand firm that I will never fight there again. It’s too big of a risk for a bitch like me,” Pyfer emphasized.
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