"Be Joe Pyfer" - Here's how the UFC middleweight earned Dana White's respect and a contract in the first week of Contender Series

Joe Pyfer, a rising middleweight MMA stalwart, has notably earned considerable praise from UFC CEO Dana White. The 27-year-old American fighter first competed in a DWCS (Dana White's Contender Series) event back in August 2020.

In his first stint on DWCS, Pyfer ended up suffering a first-round TKO (elbow injury) defeat against Dustin Stoltzfus. He returned to the win column by defeating Austin Trotman via second-round KO at a Cage Fury Fighting Championships event in December 2021.

Following that, Pyfer once again competed at a DWCS event. 'Bodybagz' featured on episode 1 of Dana White's Contender Series Season 6 in July 2022, wherein he secured a spectacular second-round TKO victory over Osman Diaz.

In a DWCS post-event interview with Laura Sanko, Dana White lauded Pyfer for his performance. Besides, Sanko confirmed that White had awarded Pyfer a UFC contract in the DWCS season's first week itself. Earning the contract meant that he'd be able to make his main roster UFC debut next.

White's speech from the aforementioned interview subsequently went viral, as he encouraged other UFC aspirants to learn from the up-and-coming middleweight. The UFC head honcho stated:

"If you want to get into the UFC, and this is where you want to be, act like Joe Pyfer. Okay? Be Joe Pyfer. Be excited to be here. Be fired up to fight. Try to finish the fight. Try to win. Be Joe Pyfer, and you will get into the UFC."

Check out Dana White's comments at 0:50 in the video below:

Presently, Joe Pyfer is scheduled to face Abdul Razak Alhassan in a middleweight matchup. The Pyfer-Alhassan showdown is expected to serve as the co-headlining bout of the upcoming UFC Fight Night 229 event on October 7, 2023.

---

When Joe Pyfer defended Dana White from "bullsh*t" criticism

With his DWCS win, Joe Pyfer secured a UFC contract and went on to make his main roster debut. He secured a first-round TKO win over Alen Amedovski at UFC Fight Night 210 in September 2022.

During his UFC Fight Night 210 post-fight press conference, 'Bodybagz' expressed his gratitude for UFC boss Dana White. Pyfer indicated that White had given him additional money apart from his DWCS pay.

On that note, Pyfer explained that Dana White's financial assistance helped him pay for his accommodation. Apparently, White gave him enough money to pay off the rent for an entire year. The middleweight fighter explained that White, who's often been accused of mistreating and underpaying fighters, treated him with grace. Defending White against his critics and thanking him, 'Bodybagz' said:

"I think the guy gets sh*t on a lot for not being a good dude or whatever bull***t that people say sometimes. And I don't know any of the other stories but as far as he's treated me, he's treated me gracefully."

Check out Pyfer's comments below: