Yahoo Sports Make no mistake: Joe Pyfer wants another shot at Dustin Stoltzfus after UFC 287
MIAMI – Joe Pyfer beat Gerald Meerschaert with a first-round TKO Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 287 at Kaseya Center in Miami.
Take a look inside the fight with Pyfer, who has four straight wins, all by knockout.
Gerald Meerschaert vs. Joe Pyfer
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Result: Joe Pyfer def. Gerald Meerschaert via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 3:15
Updated records: Pyfer (11-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC), Meerschaert (35-16 MMA, 10-8 UFC)
Key stat: Pyfer has 10 of his 11 wins by stoppage.
Pyfer on the fight's key moment
Apr 8, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Gerald Meerschaert (red gloves) fights Joe Pyfer (blue gloves) during UFC 287 at Miami-Dade Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports
“I knew he was very left hand happy and left body kick happy. I do believe that he was going to the inside leg because he really believed he was going to find the head kick. I don’t know what his game plan was, but I also wanted him to keep hitting me, like you guys noticed. I don’t think I threw a freaking punch for like the first f*cking minute because I wanted to gauge his speed. I knew he was slow from the film, but I wanted to physically be in there and be like, ‘All right, this motherf*cker’s not that fast.’ I knew I was going to be faster than him.”
Pyfer on getting healthy
Apr 8, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Gerald Meerschaert (red gloves) share words with Joe Pyfer (blue gloves) after their fight during UFC 287 at Miami-Dade Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports
“I’ve got to heal up some sh*t. I’ve been burying some things that I have to take care of. My left elbow’s kind of always had this weird nerve pain, the good arm, so I do want to go get that checked out. It really irritated me in the fight right now. I don’t wanna be overzealous. I’m two fights in the UFC. I’m 26 years old. I’ve been through a lot of sh*t and I want to make sure that when I take the next fight, I’m not taking the next fight because I need money – I’m taking the next fight because I’m ready to make a run. And that’s what the point of this is.”
Pyfer on what he wants next
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – AUGUST 11: (R-L) Dustin Stoltzfus slams Joe Pyfer in a middleweight fight during week two of Dana White’s Contender Series season four at UFC APEX on August 11, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/DWCS LLC/Zuffa LLC)
“Dustin Stoltzfus: I called that motherf*cker out on the DMs. I respect the man. I like the man. I think he’s a good human being. But this man is 1-4 in the UFC. I DM’d him before I DM’d Gerald (Meerschaert), just so everybody knows this, and I understand that something was going on with his health, and I hope he’s OK. I hope his family’s OK.
“But I want to fight him. … Why wouldn’t I want to run (a broken arm loss at Dana White’s Contender Series) back? I wasn’t able to compete for two years because of this man. I’m an unranked fighter in the middleweight division. I don’t even care to be in the top 15 right now. I want to fight that man. That’s personal for me. I want that sh*t back. So Dustin Stoltzfus is the only callout I have.”
To hear more from Pyfer, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.
