Joe Pyfer out to be the first to KO Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Mexico

MEXICO CITY – Joe Pyfer wants more than a win in his return to the cage Saturday.

The rising UFC middleweight contender is looking to become the first person to knockout Kelvin Gastelum in MMA. He’ll get his chance to do so at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 64, which takes place at Arena CDMX in Mexico City.

“I love the matchup. I thought it was very exciting,” Pyfer told MMA Junkie. “The guy likes to bring it, and he’s entertaining to watch. I would say as of lately, his performances haven’t been Kelvin of old, but I do believe he did his best work at middleweight. I know my teammate beat him in Sean Brady, but we’re two completely different fighters and that’s a question that’s been popping up a bunch, but our styles are different. Sean is an amazing grappler, I’m a good grappler. I’m a great striker, I think, and I want to be the first guy to knock Kelvin out. So yeah, when I saw the matchup, I thought it was a great fight for me.”

Gastelum (18-9 MMA, 13-9 UFC) has fought the who’s who of MMA. Israel Adesanya, Jared Cannonier, Robert Whittaker, Michael Bisping, Darren Till are just some of the many high-level strikers and power punchers Gastelum has faced. Yet, Pyfer (13-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) thinks he brings something different to the table.

“I’m going to send a statement to him,” Pyfer said. “I don’t really care about what the rest of the division thinks. Obviously, yes, if I get a stoppage, it’s going to be impressive, but I have 13 wins and 12 finishes. I’m a guy that likes to go out there and look for the finish, and I have the power to get the finish. If you watch him against Israel Adesanya, I think that was his best self and I think that was the best he’s ever going to be, and he got dropped like three or four times by a guy who’s not really a power puncher.”

Gastelum is a pioneer in Mexican MMA. Although born in the U.S. but with Mexican parents, Gastelum has represented the Mexican audience for many years. He fought in the UFC’s first ever event in Mexico in 2018 and coached a season of “The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America.”

Pyfer knows he won’t be the crowd favorite, but is in no way letting that affect him.

“No, I don’t give a f*ck,” Pyfer said. “I’m here in enemy territory. … I’m super comfortable, and I’m not uncomfortable fighting here in Mexico. At the end of the day, I’ll be making the same walk to the cage, and in the cage it doesn’t matter where you’re from or what ethnicity you are. A fight is a fight.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 64.