The highly anticipated UFC Mexico City card just took a major hit as Joe Pyfer has officially pulled out of his fight against Kelvin Gastelum.
This unexpected setback not only derails Pyfer’s return to the octagon following his strong showing at UFC 303 but also forces changes to the event’s lineup. With Pyfer vs. Gastelum scrapped, the flyweight bout between Edgar Chairez and CJ Vergara has been bumped to the main card to keep the action going.
Fans were understandably disappointed, as the Pyfer-Gastelum clash was shaping up to be one of the most exciting matchups on the card. The UFC confirmed the news on Saturday, citing an illness as the reason behind the withdrawal.
Pyfer, who has been on an impressive run, winning five of his seven fights in the UFC, took to Instagram to express his heartbreak and explain his reasons.
Joe Pyfer on Instagram pic.twitter.com/aPNLWDMmfI
— THE UFCGUY (@the_ufcguy) March 30, 2025
“I just want to say my heart is broken that I couldn’t fight today I got super sick, and hopefully we can reschedule this fight for a few weeks from now”, he wrote.
This kind of last-minute change is nothing new in the UFC, where injuries and illnesses often shake up fight cards. However, Pyfer’s sudden exit raises questions about the rigorous demands fighters face, particularly when dealing with weight cuts, travel, and intense training camps.
This was also an important fight for Gastelum, who has not been able to string along successive wins in his last 10 fights since 2018. Besides, given his reputation of in putting up brawls, this fight had a lot sauce going into it.
And his move did not go unnoticed, especially by Pat Downey, an American wrestler turned MMA fighter, who has now ripped into Pyfer for this 11th-hour pullout.
Downey puts Pyfer on blast
This isn’t the first time a fighter has pulled out of a fight citing an illness. And while fans could understand Pyfer’s plight, Downey was anything but sympathetic.
Citing his own example of fighting on his Bellator debut with a broken rib, torn ACL, and no professional MMA experience, he asked Pyfer never to never talk trash about him.
“Joe Pyfer wants to put my name in his mouth talking s*it to me on @furygrappling mic & has the nerve to pull out THE. DAY. OF. fight. KG was ready to beat that a*s”, he raged on social media.
Not just that, the former Bellator fighter is even ready to take on Pyfer himself, claiming that all he has to do is send over the contract, and he will sign it.
Pyfer and Downey’s rivalry goes back to 2024, when the two fought in a grappling match at CJI 1, with the latter coming out as the victor.
