Joe Pyfer Reacts to First UFC Defeat: 'I Wasn’t Supposed to Be Here Anyway'

Joe Pyfer’s response to his loss at #UFCVegas86 pic.twitter.com/krginPS7PH

— MMA Mania (@mmamania) February 11, 2024

Joe Pyfer has come a long way since badly dislocating his elbow on Dana White's Contender Series in August 2020.

Pyfer recovered from that injury to author a five-bout winning streak that included three finishes in UFC competition, a run that led to him to a headlining spot opposite Jack Hermansson at UFC Fight Night 236 on Saturday night. Relying on a stiff jab, increasingly effective leg kicks and a solid gas tank, Hermansson derailed Pyfer’s momentum with a unanimous decision triumph at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The tide truly began to turn in Round 3, when “The Joker” rocked his opponent with a hard jab. Pyfer admitted that he was never able to fully recover from that point forward.

“I’m OK, despite how my face looks,” Pyfer said in a video on his Instagram stories. “I wasn’t rocked. I got punched in the eyeball — couldn’t see. I did a good job on the calf [kicks]. But I feel like the eye, when I lost vision, I fell that round. I lost that round and just couldn’t get it back, and he did a good job on the calf.”

While the UFC put the majority of its promotional energy behind Pyfer leading up to the bout, the Pennsylvania native was also defiant in the face of defeat.

“To all my haters, suck a fat d—k. I wasn’t supposed to be here anyway,” he said. “I give it 100% every time. We’ll make adjustments and we’ll come back. Thank you to all my sponsors, thank you to everybody who supports me, and yeah – good job, Jack.”