“Face down a** up,” Rising star Joe Pyfer reveals hateful message from abusive father that motivated his UFC success

Joe Pyfer opens up about his struggles and turning negative experiences into driving force for his remarkable comeback and success in the world of mixed martial arts.

“Face down a** up,” Rising star Joe Pyfer reveals hateful message from abusive father that motivated his UFC success

Joe Pyfer reveals hateful message from abusive father (Image via: Instagram)

Joe Pyfer is a rising contender in the middleweight division. He will fight Jack Hermansson at UFC Vegas 86. Pyfer is undefeated in the UFC, and UFC Vegas 86 is his first headlining bout. Hermansson is a ranked opponent, and a victory could get Pyfer a number next to his name in the rankings. Pyfer is extremely powerful as he unofficially broke Francis Ngannou‘s record of the hardest punch.

Joe Pyfer recently appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience, where he talked about his childhood trauma and suicidal thoughts. Preluding his fight with Hermansson, Pyfer appeared on UFC Journey, where he talked about an incident that motivated him to succeed. This was after he broke his arm in his first appearance on the Dana White’s Contender Series. Nonetheless, this is what he said.

My dad reached out to me. He always made sure to spit in my face at the worst moments. He sends me a picture of my arm broke backward and he said, 'Yeah, just how you like it, face down a** up. Told you you would get knocked the f*ck out the second you fought anybody real.' And that's something that's actually not that bad from the things that he has said since I was a child. That is not that bad, but it did sting, you know? It was like, 'Man, I got this dude still sitting here wishing on my downfall,' and that motivated me.
Joe Pyfer via UFC Journey
YouTube video

The motivation helped, as he has not lost an MMA fight since. Pyfer returned one and a half years later and knocked out Austin Trotman at CFFC 104 with a brutal hook from the right hand. It was the same hand he broke. CFFC streamed on UFC Fight Pass, which gave him another chance on the DWCS. Pyfer maximized his opportunity this time as he knocked out Ozzy Diaz and bagged a UFC contract.

FS Video

After he bagged the contract, Dana White came to know that Pyfer was homeless. As a show of gratitude, White paid money so that Pyfer had a place to stay for a year. It was after this incident that something similar happened to Themba Gorimbo. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson bought Gorimbo an apartment after Johnson came to know about Gorimbo’s story.

Joe Pyfer broke his arm on the Dana White Contender Series

Joe Pyfer won the first contract in the sixth season of Dana White’s Contender Series. It was his second appearance on the series after he broke and dislocated his elbow in his first appearance. The injury happened in the second week of the fourth season of the DWCS.

Joe Pyfer
Joe Pyfer (via Sports Illustrated)

Pyfer’s opponent at the time was Dustin Stoltzfus. The injury happened in the final minute of the first round. Pyfer tried to get a guillotine choke on his opponent. However, Stoltzfus picked him up and dropped him on the canvas. At the time when he was about to land, Pyfer posted his right arm, which dislocated backward. The referee stopped the fight immediately, and the UFC awarded a contract to Stoltzfus.

Nonetheless, Pyfer came back to win his second attempt and is now 3-0 with the UFC. All three wins came via finish, and Pyfer got a Performance of the Night bonus in his first and third fights in the UFC.

In case you missed it!