Joe Pyfer breaks his silence as UFC Mexico City fight with Kelvin Gastelum cancelled with just hours to go
03/29/2025 02:18 PM
Joe Pyfer has apologized to fans as he posted for the first time since cancelling his UFC Mexico City fight on hours’ notice.
The fan favorite brawler was due to face former title challenger Kelvin Gastelum in the biggest test of his career to date. Both men made weight yesterday as normal, but it was announced by the UFC today that Pyfer was forced out with illness.
Fans were left devastated by the pullout, with many noting that it was arguably the most compelling fight on the card. The main card is now a fight down, which could lead to delays early in the broadcast.
Joe Pyfer opens up about UFC Mexico City cancellation
This afternoon, with just hours to go until the first bell, the UFC announced that an illness had removed Joe Pyfer from his fight with Kelvin Gastelum tonight at UFC Mexico City. It was one of the most exciting fights of the evening, with two hard-hitting and explosive brawlers getting involved.
A brief statement on the UFC X page read: “Due to illness, Joe Pyfer has been removed from his middleweight bout with Kelvin Gastelum. As a result, this bout has been cancelled from today's event.”
Just wanna say my heart is broken I couldn’t fight today,” Pyfer wrote on his Instagram stories. “I got super sick and hopefully we can reschedule this fight for a few weeks from now. Unfortunately comes with the territory of traveling outside the states. Never again my apologies guys. We’ll be back.”
Kelvin Gastelum was planning major UFC comeback
The most devastated man tonight will be Kelvin Gastelum, who is looking to launch a major career resurgence. His fate hung in the balance, having comically missed anything close to the welterweight limit for his last fight with Daniel Rodriguez.
He ended up technically weighing in under the newly-arranged middleweight limit and winning the fight. But fans felt that Rodriguez was robbed, if not literally on the scorecards by the fact his opponent didn’t have to cut any weight at all while he ballooned overnight.
That victory came after a submission defeat to Sean Brady in his return at welterweight, bringing his record to 2-6 since 2018. A victory back up at middleweight against someone like Pyfer would have propelled him back into the rankings and potential contention again.
