Joe Pyfer has been forced to withdraw from his upcoming fight at UFC Mexico.
UFC officials announced on Saturday that Pyfer had to pull out of his main card match against Kelvin Gastelum due to illness. As a result, the flyweight fight between Edgar Chairez and CJ Vergara has been moved up from the preliminary card to the main card, according to UFC.com.
Both Pyfer and Gastelum were set to compete for the first time in 2025, aiming to build on victories from their last fights in June. Pyfer secured a first-round knockout win over Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC 303, while Gastelum won a decision against Daniel Rodriguez at a Fight Night event in Saudi Arabia.
It is currently unclear whether the fight between Pyfer and Gastelum will be rescheduled for a future event or if they will be matched up with different opponents.
Pyfer later confirmed the news in a statement on Instagram Stories.
“I’m heartbroken that I couldn’t fight today,” Pyfer wrote. “I became very ill, and I hope we can reschedule this fight in a few weeks. Unfortunately, this is a risk of traveling internationally. My apologies, everyone. I will be back.”
UFC Mexico is headlined by a flyweight contender fight between former two-time champion Brandon Moreno and recent title challenger Steve Erceg. The event will proceed with a total of 12 fights.
