Joe Pyfer and Bo Nickal, both middleweight prospects who burst onto the UFC scene via Dana White’s contender series, have faced scrutiny after recent losses that tested their hype. Pyfer, who debuted in 2022, earned Dana White’s praise with the iconic “Be Joe Pyfer” mantra, while Nickal, a 2023 addition and former Penn State wrestling standout, was looked at as a future star. However both the fighters have suffered setbacks which has stirred debates about their potential, with Pyfer now trying to segregate himself from Nickal’s “fraud check” narrative ahead of UFC 316 fight against Kevin Gastelum scheduled on June 7, 2025.
Pyfer’s unanimous decision loss to Jack Harmansson in his first UFC main event was a huge disappointment, but he rebounded right back with a first-round KO of Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC 303. Nickal, meanwhile, suffered a second-round TKO against Reiner de Ridder in May 2025, raising questions after wins against Paul Craig and Cody Brundage. At UFC 316 media day, Pyfer dismissed the comparisons, arguing his loss was a close split decision, not a finish like Bo Nickal’s, and rejected the “fraud check” label.
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Speaking to reporters, Pyfer emphasized his experience edge, with twice as many MMA fights as Nickal. He views his upcoming fight against Kevin Gastelum, known for never getting knocked out in his MMA career, a chance to prove himself as one of the best. Pyfer believes that Gastelum may lean more towards wrestling to avoid his striking power, but he’s also confident in his grappling and wrestling, stating that his fifth-round fatigue against Hermansson as an outlier. It was Pyfer’s first five round fight of his MMA career, and fatigue became one of the biggest reasons why he lost the bout.
Going into UFC 316, Pyfer is confident and believes he can be the first to finish Gastelum via striking stating, “If my power touches his chin, I can fold anybody in the division.” While he states that he is prepared for whatever Gastelum throws at him, he is hunting for a highlight reel finish and possibly enter himself in the top 15 contenders in the middleweight division. A win could potentially set the stage for a showdown with Nickal in the future but for now Gastelum is his priority. The fight against Gastelum was previously supposed to take place in March at Mexico, but was cancelled due to Pyfer’s illness.
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