Joe Pyfer Details Origin of Dislike for Paul Craig

Joe Pyfer wants to fight opponents he dislikes and claims to have found the perfect one.

Pyfer scored a brutal first-round knockout win over Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC 303 on Saturday. The win saw “Bodybagz” bounce back from his first UFC loss, which came via a unanimous decision against Jack Hermansson this past February.

Pyfer was left with a mixture of emotions after his UFC 303 win.

“I felt angry, I felt happy, I felt, ‘There you go motherf—-ers, here’s your salt bang motherf---ers. Here’s all you jerk-offs that sat there and talked s--t on me and f----ing harassed me for months. Thinking you’re harassing me for months while I just sat there and I kept quiet,” Pyfer said on "The MMA Hour.”

“I didn’t do one single interview for this fight. I didn’t do anything unless it was UFC mandatory. And I kept my mouth shut for the most part until I got to fight week, and I said I wouldn’t have much to say until I whooped his ass, and then I’ll talk my s--t. And I did.”

Pyfer called out veteran Paul Craig after UFC 303 and the Scot wasted no time in verbally accepting the fight.



Pyfer explained that he has a strong dislike for Craig stemming from their run-in at UFC 292 at the TD Garden Arena in Boston in August 2023. While Pyfer made eye contact with Craig while passing by, “Bearjew” didn’t acknowledge him in any way. Pyfer was irked by Craig portraying the “killer-type vibe” and has since harbored a dislike against him. While Pyfer claims to have even rallied for a clash against Craig earlier, he would eventually end up fighting Hermansson.

“I guess I’m petty, I don’t know,” Pyfer said. “I was at UFC Boston with Sean [Strickland] and I like walked by him [Craig], we looked at each other and he didn’t give a head nod. He didn’t acknowledge me at all. Like there was no respect. It just seemed like he was that hard douchebag, f---ing he’s a killer type vibe. I don’t know. It just rubbed me the wrong way. And I tried to respectfully get that fight after he fought Brendan Allen because he was in the Top 15 or whatever. And then obviously I ended up taking the fight against Jack, and he like blew it off.”

Pyfer also dislikes Craig’s grappling-heavy fighting style, and the animosity works out perfectly for Pyfer as he is looking to fight opponents he dislikes.

“I don’t know, I just don’t like his antics,” Pyfer said. “He’s always in people’s faces, painting his face like a smurf. And the second he gets slapped up he lays on his back, starts a--hole scooting across the mat. I don’t respect it bro, he fights like a b--h. And honestly, I want to fight somebody I don’t like. And for whatever reason, the guy f---ing irks me, I don’t know. I don’t like people that sit there and pretend that they’re about that life and then when you get tagged up, you fall to the ground. Maybe he’s never done anything to me and I’m making this more than it is, which I think I am. But I don’t give a f--k. I don’t like him and I’m gonna fight him. This is the hurt business, right?”