Two Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweights will collide in Mexico City next year.
Multiple sources confirmed to MMAmania.com today (Tues., Dec. 31, 2024) that top 185 lb prospect Joe Pyfer will fight former interim Middleweight title challenger Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Mexico City on March 29, 2025, which will go down inside Arena CDMX, in Mexico City, Mexico.
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Pyfer (13-3) suffered his first UFC loss in 2024 in his first promotional main event to Jack Hermansson at UFC Vegas 86 but rebounded in absolutely brutal fashion by knocking out Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC 303, securing his third Performance of the Night bonus (watch highlights).
“BodyBagz” holds a 4-1 UFC record with four finishes.
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Gastelum (19-9) only had one fight in 2024 against Daniel Rodriguez at UFC Saudi Arabia, in which he won a unanimous decision; however, the pre-fight drama overshadowed his win.
Gastelum vs. “D-Rod” was supposed to take place at Welterweight, but before weigh-ins, Gastelum informed the promotion that he couldn’t make 170 lbs, forcing the promotion to change the scheduled fight to a Middleweight bout.
UFC CEO Dana White was not happy.
It has been a tough several years for the 33-year-old, only winning three of his last nine fights, but a win over a red-hot Pyfer would put him right back in the thick of the division.
The only other fights confirmed for UFC Mexico at this time are a pair of Flyweight fights, Edgar Chairez vs. C.J. Vergara and Ronaldo Rodríguez vs. Kevin Borjas.
To checkout UFC’s upcoming schedule of events click here.
