UFC middleweight contender Joe Pyfer isn’t happy with Joe Rogan and the UFC 316 broadcast team.
Joe Pyfer appeared to be seconds away from another first-round knockout over Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 316. But after a quick start was followed up by a sluggish final two rounds of the fight, Pyfer has come under criticism from fans and pundits for his performance.
Pyfer defeated Gastelum in the biggest fight of his career by unanimous decision on the UFC 316 main card. Despite extending his ongoing win streak in the Octagon, Pyfer’s showing was vehemently criticized in real time by Daniel Cormier, Joe Rogan, and Jon Anik.
In his post-fight interview in the cage with Rogan, Pyfer admitted he wasn’t happy with his performance, and credited Gastelum for his toughness and durability. But after listening to what the commentators had to say about his win at UFC 316, Pyfer isn’t thrilled with what he heard.
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Joe Pyfer calls Joe Rogan ‘unfair’ over commentary of heavily-criticized UFC 316 victory
Rogan was particularly critical of Pyfer’s performance, questioning the Dana White’s Contender Series alum’s desire to face higher competition in the middleweight division. But in fairness, this was just the second time Pyfer has gone the distance in his UFC tenure, with the other occasion taking place in a loss to Jack Hermansson last year.
During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Pyfer reacted to how Rogan and the UFC broadcast team analyzed his decision win at UFC 316.
“They were a little hard on me. Joe Rogan was a little hard on me, I just think the expectation is set so high for me, that if I don’t get a devastating finish, then everybody kind of starts being like ‘Oh well if he wants to fight the higher competition…!'” Pyfer said.
“And it’s like bro, Abus Magomedov just fought Michel Pereira when he was 2-2 in the UFC and now he’s ranked number 11…you can go from being unranked, to number 11 in one fight.
“I’ll get the better competition, relax! I think they were a little bit unfair, as far as the reality of the fight. It was not a close fight. I was never in danger.”
Pyfer and Rogan have shared a cordial relationship during the middleweight’s UFC tenure, including a The Joe Rogan Experience episode filmed last year. Pyfer is far from the first fighter to criticize Rogan and Cormier for their live commentary during fights.
The Pyfer vs. Gastelum matchup was months in the making after the two middleweights were supposed to square off earlier this year at UFC Mexico City. Pyfer withdrew from UFC Mexico City on hours’ notice due to an illness he suffered through during fight week.
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Sean O’Malley is plotting his next move after devastating UFC 316 loss
UFC 316 headliner Sean O’Malley is in a peculiar spot after a second loss to Merab Dvalishvili last weekend in Newark. While O’Malley looked physically better and more prepared in the Dvalishvili rematch, he was submitted by the bantamweight champion and is out of the division’s title mix.
Before UFC 316, O’Malley’s coach Tim Welch admitted they’re considering a move to featherweight after several brutal cuts to 135 lbs. O’Malley previously teased a showdown with Ilia Topuria before the latter’s move to lightweight.
As for what’s next for Dvalishvili, with O’Malley in the rearview mirror, the pound-for-pound superstar is expected to face a new challenge for his next title defense. Cory Sandhagen called for the next title shot after his recent win over Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Des Moines.