Joe Pyfer improved his record inside the Octagon to 5-1 with a unanimous decision victory over Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 316 in New Jersey.
It was all ‘Bodybagz’ in the opening round, connecting with a booming right hand that sent Gastelum crashing to the canvas just 40 seconds into the scrap. Pyfer moved in looking for a finish, but Gastelum survived the onslaught. Unfortunately for Gastelum, it wouldn’t be the last time he’d eat mat in the first.
With less than a minute to go, Pyfer uncorked another brutal right hand that put Gastelum down. This time, Pyfer was content to let Gastelum back up and let the final seconds tick off the clock.
As exciting as the first was, the second stanza left a lot to be desired as they combined for less than 30 significant strikes. Pyfer continued to quietly look for the one-hitter quitter while Gastelum was too hesitant to close the distance and land anything of note.
It was more of the same in the second as Pyfer was only interested in throwing one shot at a time. Gastelum, on the other hand, was throwing combinations and mixing up his strikes to the head and body. Gastelum closed the round with a couple of stiff shots against the fence before sending us to the scorecards.
Official Result: Joe Pyfer def. Kelvin Gastelum via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 30-27)
Check out highlights from Kelvin Gastelum vs. Joe Pyfer at UFC 316:
