Joe Pifer's first UFC loss taught him a valuable lesson: don't read the comments.
At UFC 303, Pifer knocked out Marc-Andre Barrio in just 85 seconds to earn the fourth win of his UFC career. The bout was Pifer's first since losing to Jack Hermansson in February, so most would expect Pifer to be in high spirits after the fight. However, “Bodybagz” says that's not the case, and part of the reason for that is how he currently views MMA fans.
“There's really no excitement about this game,” Pifer said. MMA Hour.
“I don't know what it is. I guess I'm just so sick of MMA fans that I can't enjoy anything anymore. It all feels fake now. So after being taunted for losing a decision, I can't do anything anymore. I don't know. I honestly don't know.”
“My coach and I talked about it because there really hasn't been a better moment for me. I'm excited and I'm proud of myself. It was a great performance and I've earned the most money of my career so far. I'm very happy.”
Since joining UFC in 2022, Contender Series, Pifer made an immediate impact, winning his first three bouts by three knockouts. The rising star then faced Hermansson in his first UFC main event, but despite dominating early on, lost by unanimous decision. It was a tough setback for Pifer, not just professionally but personally, as he said the fans were brutal to him after the loss.
“I felt kind of bad because people were saying they had checked me for cheating,” Pifer said. [don’t] To check for fraud, in my fourth fight at UFC, I went five rounds against a boxer who was unranked and was ranked 10th in the world, and I was winning early on and showing I was the better boxer, but I couldn't keep up the same pace and I got hit in the eye and he couldn't see for the rest of the fight. Credit to him, because he did the damage. He hit me in the eye. It was a legitimate shot. And then he started landing kicks to the calf with veteran skill. The fifth round was 2-2, and I came out and I felt like I was starting to get some momentum, but then he took me down. He changed his tack.
“But what I want to say is, everyone was slamming me and saying I was tested for cheating and 'Mean Joe' and all that kind of rubbish. I thought, OK, that's fair, I've got both sides now so this is what I deserve. Do it, do it or don't do it, you get criticised either way. I took a risk and it wasn't the smartest risk given the circumstances but I'm proud of my performance. I've had to learn that in this sport no matter how successful you are, there will always be haters and it will take a brutal toll on your mental health if you don't learn to keep the opinions of people who don't matter at bay.”
Pifer added that after the loss, he didn't train for two months because he was not only angry at the fans, but also at himself and his performance. Not in this bout. For Pifer, beating Barrio and getting back on track was a way to hit back at all the fans who criticized him earlier in the year.
“I felt angry, and I felt happy,” Pifer said. “Come on, motherfuckers! Salt Bae. [does sprinkle motion with his hand]motherfuckers. You motherfuckers sat there talking shit about me, harassing me for months, I thought you guys were gonna harass me for months, and I just sat there. I stayed quiet, I didn't do a single interview for this fight unless it was UFC obligation. I pretty much kept my mouth shut until fight week, saying I wasn't gonna say much until I beat that guy, and then I beat him and I started talking shit about myself.”
Pifer is now 4-1 in the UFC and hopes to face Paul Craig next.
