LAS VEGAS -- If you don't go to watch Joe Pyfer because you saw the documentary, "Journey to the UFC," about his extraordinary life; if you don't go to watch him because of his incredible perseverance; perhaps you'll go see him if you understand that he's got the kind of pop in his hands that few MMA fighters have ever had. Pyfer carries the kind of power that can end any fight at any moment in less than a blink of an eye.
The UFC has had some incredibly powerful strikers over the years, with Francis Ngannou being the most notable. In addition to Ngannou, its former heavyweight champion, fighters like Chuck Liddell, Derrick Lewis, Anthony "Rumble" Johnson, Shane Carwin, Dan Henderson and Mark Hunt, have all brought fans out of their seats and sent them into a frenzy with the power of their fists.
Could Joe Pyfer eventually be included among that group? Perhaps. He's only 3-0 in the UFC, so it's too early to make a judgement now, but he's already opening eyes with his power. Pyfer, who faces veteran middleweight Jack Hermansson on Saturday in the main event of UFC Vegas 86 at Apex, holds the top several spots on the PowerKube's list of the hardest punches. The PowerKube is a device that measure the force and velocity of punches. Not surprisingly, Ngannou had the highest score recorded on it. He recorded a number of just over 129,000 units.
That is, he did until Pyfer came along. And then, well, listen to him tell the story.
"The first time I hit it, I broke the score [record]," Pyfer told KevinIole.com. "I hit 181,000 units. The one that is on the video, I hit 171,000 units, basically 170 some thousand. I broke it multiple times, four or five times, and I wasn't supposed to because I was rehabbing a shoulder [injury]. I didn't even hit it [as hard as possible] and what people aren't realizing is, I also hit the bag with a 16-ounce boxing glove and not an MMA glove, which it would probably have been even higher."
Pyfer's life story is one of overcoming, and the documentary is highly recommended. He first got a shot to get into the UFC via Dana White's Contender Series in 2020, but suffered a gruesome arm injury.He got a second shot on DWCS in 2022, and made the most of it. When UFC CEO Dana White chose him to get a contract that night, he was telling the other fighters if they wanted to assure themselves of getting a contract, "Be like Joe Pyfer."
White gave Pyfer a lot of money out of his pocket to set himself up with a place to live. But Pyfer's been earning his keep by scoring a pair of knockouts and a submission in his three UFC fights to this point.
White remains incredibly high on Pyfer's potential, though he noted the Hermansson fight will represent a huge milestone. Hermansson is ranked 11th at middleweight and is clearly the best opponent Pyfer has faced.
"Pyfer's is the type of story that I love, and he embodies everything that sports is about, let alone fighting," White told KevinIole.com. "The guy's overcome unbelievable adversity. He's been down and out and he's fought his way back. Now, he's looking down the barrel of a main event against a guy that, if he beats [Hermansson] on Saturday night, he starts to completely change his life."
The intriguing thing about Pyfer is that while he possesses what appears to be Tyson-esque KO power, he's far from a one-dimensional fighter. He's trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu since he was 4, and counts eight knockouts and three submissions among his 12 career victories. He submitted Abdul Razak Alhassan in his last fight, ending it in the second round on Oct. 7 with an arm triangle.
His calling card, though, is his power. And though he's scored some hellacious KOs already, he still hasn't landed what he considers his best shot clean and flush at this point.
"To be honest, I don't think I have," he said when asked about hitting someone with everything he has. "There was one time as an amateur where I don't think it was as hard as I could throw it. It think it was very well-timed. I went jab, jab, right hand, left uppercut. I clipped the dude and split his whole lip in half and put him out. He was out on the floor for at least four to five minutes. [He wasn't] unconscious for four to five minutes, but he had no idea where he as. They had to help him stand, and yeah, that was so bad.
"And then there was a time when I took a guy down and I was hitting him until he was out. I remember, it's something you feel and I felt a jolt through my whole body. ... But I still don't believe I've landed that perfect punch yet."
Lord help the person on the receiving end if he ever does connect on it.