Joe Pyfer is in a much better place than he was just a few weeks ago.
On Saturday, Pyfer scored the biggest win of his career, finishing former two-time middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in the main event of UFC Seattle. It was a tremendous victory for Pyfer, not only because of the opponent, but due to the personal demons he battled in the lead-up to the event.
“It’s weird, it’s like I could see this moment happening,” Pyfer told Daniel Cormier in his post-fight speech. “I almost took my own life a couple of weeks ago, and I found God, and I hate crying, so I’m going to keep it together. God restored me, that’s the only reason I’m here. USA baby, let’s go!”
It was a shocking admission from Pyfer, who spoke openly about finding religion and his changes as a person during pre-fight media events, but had not shared that things were so dark for him. Speaking with MMA media in his post-fight scrum, Pyfer expounded on the situation and how he sought help through therapy and faith.
“I said it all week, and I think a lot of people kind of dismissed it as I wasn’t going to be able to go in there and still have this tenacity about me or this mean streak about me,” Pyfer said. “I was born a fighter. I was born into chaos and a messed-up family, as many children are. It’s not like mine’s super special compared to anybody else’s.
“But yeah, I was a victim of my own self-destruction. I had lust issues; I had just this toxic cycle of coping. Nothing drug-related or anything like that, but I had a dream where I was disgusted about who I was, I broke a lot of people’s hearts around me, particularly one person that I never will hurt again, and shit, I was just disgusted with myself.
“So, I went and got therapy. In this dream, I feel like God chose me and took my hand, gave me a restored life, a renewed life. The only thing I can say is I feel like all the pressure of the world is gone, all the expectations of the world [are] gone, and I feel like a true, free person.”
This is a major tonal shift for Pyfer, who rose to prominence from his win on the Contender Series for his brash personality and Dana White’s support, telling other fighters to “Be Joe Pyfer.” That phrase alone boosted Pyfer’s profile, but now, “Bodybagz” wants to change what the idea means in general.
“I’m in a really good spot mentally,” Pyfer said. “The ‘Be Joe Pyfer,’ who I was as a person is dead, but the ‘Be Joe Pyfer,’ thing will live on in a much greater way now, where people can be inspired by it, and it actually means something. So, I’m proud of who I am now. …
“So, yeah, ‘Be Joe Pyfer’ will still be a thing, it’s just got a different meaning now.”
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