Joe Pyfer’s Early Knockdowns Carried Him Past Kelvin
Joe Pyfer defeated Kelvin Gastelum by unanimous decision at UFC 316 on June 7, 2025. The middleweight contest at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, ended with scores of 29–28, 29–27 and 30–27 after Pyfer twice dropped Gastelum during the opening round.
The first round created a strong scoring foundation
Pyfer connected with powerful looping right hands to put Gastelum on the canvas twice. The early damage gave him a substantial advantage before the more closely contested rounds that followed.
Gastelum worked his way back into the contest during the second and third. Pyfer continued searching for heavy individual shots, and the matchup reached the scorecards rather than producing the early finish his opening attacks had threatened.
The victory extended his recovery from a main-event loss
Pyfer had lost a five-round unanimous decision to Jack Hermansson in February 2024. He returned that June and knocked out Marc-André Barriault at 1:25 of the opening round.
Defeating Gastelum gave him consecutive victories through contrasting performances. The Barriault fight ended quickly, while the veteran Gastelum required Pyfer to complete fifteen minutes and protect the advantage he had established.
Another submission victory followed later that year
Pyfer next submitted Abus Magomedov with a rear-naked choke in October 2025. The finish came at 1:46 of the second round and extended his successful run.
The Gastelum decision sat between two stoppages, showing that Pyfer could also win a contest that remained competitive after his strongest initial burst. His early knockdowns proved central to that full-distance result.
Sources
- UFC: two knockdowns and Gastelum’s later response
- UFC: Hermansson, Barriault and Magomedov results
- UFC: official decision and event details
