Joe Pyfer punched his way back into the win column in brutal fashion at UFC 303.
In the featured prelim, Pyfer (13-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) bashed Marc-Andre Barriault (16-8 MMA, 5-7 UFC) with a series of brutal punches that left the Canadian unconscious on the canvas at 1:25 of Round 1. The middleweight bout took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
JOE PYFER SLEPT HIM 😴 #UFC303 pic.twitter.com/R699bkpCJK
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 30, 2024
Pyfer, 27, became the poster boy for Dana White’s Contender Series for a violent finish in 2022 that fired up Dana White and led to the UFC CEO’s “Be Joe Pyfer” speech. After four finish wins, Pyfer headlined in February vs. Jack Hermansson and lost a unanimous decision.
Barriault, 34, has lost back-to-back fights. In January, Barriault lost a split decision to Chris Curtis. The defeat was the second time he’s been finished with strikes in his pro career.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 303 results include:
- Joe Pyfer def. Marc-Andre Barriault via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:25
- Andre Fili def. Cub Swanson via unanimous decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Jean Silva def. Charles Jourdain via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 1:22
- Payton Talbott def. Yanis Ghemmouri via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:19
- Gillian Robertson def. Michelle Waterson-Gomez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Martin Buday def. Andrei Arlovski via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
- Rei Tsuruya def. Carlos Hernandez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Vinicius Oliveira def. Ricky Simon via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.
