"I hadn't fully forgiven my parents" - Joe Pyfer opens up on suffering abuse from his father during childhood

UFC middleweight Joe Pyfer recently opened up about the trauma he suffered as a child at the hands of his father and revealed that, for a long time, he struggled to forgive his parents.

The 26-year-old has had a rollercoaster ride of a career. Growing up in an abusive household with four sisters, Pyfer was no stranger to running away to escape the mistreatment and spending his nights on park benches. While very few knew about his situation, one of his best friends, Chandler Henry, knew and wanted to make an inspirational documentary on Pyfer's life.

In an exclusive interview with BJPENN.com, 'BodyBagz' outlined how the documentary-making process forced him to face his childhood trauma and allowed him to forgive his parents. He stated:

"It really wasn’t my decision... it was my friend Chandler Henry’s. We had gone to high school together, I was going through what I was going through of running away from home and dealing with abuse from my father... Initially, it was hard because I hadn’t fully forgiven my parents and the situation, as I was holding on to a lot of anger with it."

He continued:

"But, the older I have gotten, the past three or four years, I have forgiven them and don’t have any anger attached to them." (h/t BJPENN.com)

Joe Pyfer recently hosted the premiere of his documentary 'Journey to the UFC,' which was attended by former UFC champion Eddie Alvarez.

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Joe Pyfer explains why he's in no rush to fight ranked middleweights

Joe Pyfer is currently undefeated in the UFC, having fought twice in the promotion and securing impressive first-round knockouts on both occasions. The exciting middleweight earned his UFC contract after defeating Ozzy Diaz in the first week of Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS) season 6.

In his last outing at UFC 287 against submission maestro Gerald Meerschaert, Pyfer secured an impressive TKO in the first round. While the DWCS graduate was offered a fight against the No.12-ranked middleweight Nassourdine Imavov next, Joe Pyfer refused.

In an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Pyfer explained why he's in no rush to face ranked opponents yet. Claiming that he's still recovering from previous injuries and couldn't make weight on time, he stated:

"What do I need to rush for?... I’m not making beaucoup dollars, so that’s why I don’t want anybody in the top 15... I’m not going to fight the toughest guys of my career without that part of it matching. I’m not dumb."

Watch the full interview below: