“I carried a lot of pain” Joe Pyfer describes HEARTWARMING story of getting over cycle of abuse
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The most recent export from Dana White's Contender Series, Joe Pyfer
Joe Pyfer has won major plaudits this week – the cherry on top being that he is liked by UFC boss Dana White.
Joe Pyfer fought Alen Amedovski last weekend at UFC Vegas 60, ending the North Macedonian’s night early with a 1st round TKO. After the fight, he thanked Dana White for giving him $50,000 cash and a place to stay.
In an online interview with Ariel Helwani, the middleweight talks about Dana White helping him out, lending him his Ferrari, and most importantly, overcoming the overwhelming levels of abuse unfairly doled out to him.
Speaking about the struggles of running away from an extremely abusive household, Joe Pyfer said, “I ran away from home at 16. I was beaten like a grown man by my dad, especially in front of his wife. My mom was abusive as well, she was legally asked to stay away from me… There’s something that hurts when your mom hits you, more than when your dad does.”
Pyfer explained the emotions that he dealt with as a teenager, saying that “I carried a lot of pain. The best way I can say it is that I was left in a room, one that I was left in when I was, sad, happy, depressed…never explained what feelings were. I homeschooled my entire life, I didn’t have my first friend till I was 14 years old.”
Pyfer further explains how he ran away to a friend’s place when he was 16. The conditions weren’t much better there, as the walls seemed to be made of “wet honey” and “cats would p*ss everywhere”. The only positive is that Joe saw out his high school tenure there, living in the dilapidated house for three years.
However, it was his high school wrestling coach that helped him escape the cycle of abuse and trauma, by signing him up for the team. Since, Pyfer has hardly looked back, and said that “I’ve never been happier.” To cap it off, in a happy ending, he said, “ I’m 26! Literally never thought I would live this long but I’m still livin, I’m still smiling, and I love cars.”
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Joe Pyfer details driving Dana White’s Ferrari, amongst other good things the UFC boss has done for the fighter
Joe Pyfer is a car nut. Many UFC fighters are car enthusiasts, with some of them being Israel Adesanya (who owns a McLaren 720), Jorge Masvidal and Nick Diaz.
But, what separates Joe Pyfer is the fact that he has come on to record (on Ariel Helwani’s podcast) to talk about this weekend, where he drove UFC president Dana White’s Ferrari 812. He said, “I hit Dana up, and asked him if he knew anywhere that I can get an exotic car. He said you can come take my Ferrari.. I did.”
Pyfer is no stranger to fast cars, though. Although not the fastest machine one can purchase on the market, Pyfer does own a Mitsubishi Lancer. The Lancer embodies the spirit of the boyhood racer – an affordable car with a lively soul and a ton of options for modification, the car deserves a high spot in the legendary car list (if there is one!). Pyfer also detailed how he drove The Lamborghini Aventador, the Porsche GT3RS and of course, Dana White’s Ferrari 812.
Dana White is severely criticized by fighters, the media and the fans for being selfish, and not helping his fighters out when they need it. That is, in the form of better contracts and when needed, financial help. However, Joe Pyfer has come out this weekend and thrown praise on his boss for “being nothing but gracious.” Pyfer said that on top of securing a DWCS contract, White also gave him $50,000, through which he was able to secure a home, after being homeless since his teens.
Seems like the feel-good story of Pyfer is rolling along at full speed. Do you think Pyfer can become a big draw and a household name for the ages? Let us know what you think!
Also Read- Did Ariel Helwani unknowingly sniff Paulo Costa’s infamous “crotch cap”?
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Udayan Mukherjee
(382 Articles Published)