UFC star Kelvin Gastelum issued his first remarks since his UFC Mexico City clash with Joe Pyfer fell apart.
Kelvin Gastelum and surging middleweight star Joe Pyfer were supposed to square off in a pivotal main card bout at UFC Mexico City. But just hours before the event, Pyfer withdrew due to an illness, leaving Gastelum without an opponent and removing him from the card.
Pyfer has since expressed disappointment in his last-second withdrawal and aims to return to the Octagon as soon as possible. As of this writing, it’s uncertain if Gastelum vs. Pyfer will be rebooked or if the matchmakers will move in a different direction.
As the news broke of the Gastelum vs. Pyfer fight cancellation, many fans and pundits were disappointed with the scratched bout. But no one felt the pain more than Gastelum, who recently shared footage of him getting a call from the UFC matchmakers about Pyfer’s pullout.
Kelvin Gastelum shares the moment he found out Joe Pyfer was out of UFC Mexico City
In a recent post to X, Gastelum issued his first post-event statement after his fight got canceled at UFC Mexico City.
“I got the call that my opponent got sick and had to pull out the fight,” Gastelum posted Sunday. “Obviously I’m gutted to the core about this situation that is out of my control but Wish my opponent all the best in the future.”
Gastelum’s final words in the above statement could be interpreted as an intention to move on from the Pyfer matchup in favor of another opponent. He returned to the middleweight division after defeating Daniel Rodriguez last June by unanimous decision.
Gastelum posted footage of him reacting to the Pyfer news, which you can watch in the clip below.
Joe Pyfer unleashed on expletive-laden rant on Mexico after last-second fight pullout
After withdrawing from UFC Mexico City, Pyfer unleashed a wild rant against Mexico after a tumultuous fight week experience. Pyfer claimed he would ‘never go back’ to Mexico and called it a ‘s—hole’.
As of this writing, the UFC brass hasn’t addressed Pyfer’s comments. The promotion will return to Mexico later this year for Noche UFC 3 in Guadalajara.
Just hours before withdrawing from UFC Mexico City, Pyfer claimed he was the ‘healthiest he’s ever been’ shortly after Friday’s ceremonial weigh-in. But after a night of vomiting, stomach pain, and a fever, a doctor advised him to withdraw from the event.
As for Gastelum, his UFC 236 bout with Israel Adesanya will enter the UFC Hall of Fame this summer. In terms of his fight career, he could return in the coming months against a to-be-determined opponent.
