Joe Pyfer apologizes for previous comments on Mexico while holding his ground on one key vow: "It's too big of a risk"

Joe Pyfer opened up about his past remarks on Mexico which reportedly upset fans in the neighboring nation. Pyfer expressed regret for his comments, however, he stood strong on his promise to never fight there.

For context, Pyfer was scheduled to face Kelvin Gastelum in a middleweight bout at UFC Mexico City earlier this year, however, he pulled out of the fight due to illness. The American then pledged never to go back to Mexico in a lengthy tirade on social media.

''I don’t care if it’s offensive to you, I will never go back to that country...I did everything that I could to prepare. If that’s what altitude and elevation is, f*ck that country. I will never fight there again. Sh*t hole. Not going back. Don’t care if that’s offensive to you''

Check out Joe Pyfer's comments below (via Jed. I Goodman's X post):

Pyfer's bout against Gastelum was rebooked for UFC 316, where 'Bodybagz' put on a lackluster performance, however he managed to secure a unanimous decision win. During the post-fight press conference, the 28-year-old apologized for his remarks on Mexico, saying:

''Ultimately, things did not go well, PR-wise, for me in Mexico. And again, I want to apologize to my Mexicans out there that may hate me. It was not anything toward Mexican culture or people. I should’ve rephrased it a lot kinder and I didn’t, so it is what it is. But I do stand that I will never fight there again. It’s too big of a risk for a b*tch like me.”

Check out Joe Pyfer's apology below (1:01):

Pyfer (14-3) is 5-1 in the octagon. He lost by unanimous decision to Jack Hermansson at UFC Vegas 86, which was his sole promotional loss.

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Joe Pyfer discusses his victory over Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 316

Joe Pyfer made his octagon return at UFC 316 and prevailed over Kelvin Gastelum via unanimous decision. Despite his victory, many criticized for his poor display as he wasn't able to finish Gastelum. In the aforementioned post-fight press conference, Pyfer opened up about his strategy, saying:

''I really thought he was going to come forward more. That was our game plan: Make him miss, make him pay. I think that’s what led to it. It was both of our faults. It takes two to tango. Every time that he would come in, I would swing, but he didn’t come in very often. Ultimately, it shows I have a lot to work on still. At the end of the day, this is a never-ending job of improvement and skill-building and base-building.” [1:42]