Middleweight standout Joe Pyfer may not like what Sean Strickland has to say, but that won’t stop him from cheering on his fellow American come fight night.
Strickland will put his middleweight world title on the line for the first time since snatching it away from former two-time titleholder Israel Adesanya last year. Standing in Strickland’s way of securing a win in his first defense will be Dricus Du Plessis, a South African knockout artist who is yet to suffer a loss under the UFC banner.
Speaking about the highly intriguing UFC 297 headliner, division prospect Joe Pyfer joined Joe Rogan on the longtime UFC commentator’s popular podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience. During their back-and-forth, ‘Bodybagz’ revealed that he likes both fighters, but added that he will be cheering on his countryman come Saturday night.
“I like Sean Strickland,” Pyfer said. “I like DDP too, but I’m gonna go the American way. I hope the American boy keeps it here in America, but Dricus is a very unorthodox power puncher, but there’s a lot opening to clip him and he doesn’t have a granite chin in my opinion. He can take a shot, but I don’t think he’s fought anybody that can test his chin besides Robert Whittaker. Whittaker was a dog, but [Du Plessis] had Robert’s number. He had a good plan.
“He’s a guy who knows what he’s good at and knows how to get there quick and that’s why he comes out hot. Because he knows how he’s going to wear on you.”
Pyfer may not enjoy a lot of the rhetoric that Strickland spews during his public appearances, but he can’t help but be impressed by what the 185-pound king has accomplished given the struggles he faced in his younger years.
“I have a lot of respect for Sean,” Pyfer added. “I don’t like listening to him talk. He sounds like a drunk person to me, but look at what he’s done.”
STRICKLAND vs DU PLESSIS! #UFC297 is LIVE SATURDAY on @ESPNPlus PPV pic.twitter.com/RaDhx6oLnr
— danawhite (@danawhite) January 18, 2024
Strickland won his title after earning a decisive unanimous decision victory over Adesanya at UFC 293 in September. ‘The Last Stylebender’ was heavily criticized for his lackadaisical performance, but Pyfer believes that Strickland deserves all the credit for shutting down Izzy’s offense with his always-come-forward style.
“I don’t think Izzy side-stepped him as much as we think,” Pyfer said. “I think people just don’t understand. When you’re in there and you got a guy that never f*cking takes a step backward, it throws you off. You never can plant so you’re not hitting your power shots. You’re not doing the damage you would if you were dictating. You’re not going on your terms when you’re going backward the whole time.”
Joe Pyfer and Joe Rogan Discuss Israel Adesanya’s Injuries and Potential Timeline for Return
Joe Pyfer believes we’ll see a few more middleweight title fights before Adesanya makes his return to the Octagon, but all of that could change should Dricus Du Plessis come out on top in The Great White North.
“I think this fight happens this weekend. I think one or two more title fights, whoever is holding it… I think if DDP wins, there’s a chance [Adesanya] slides in to fight Dricus just because of all that sh*t,” Pyfer continued.
After initially suggesting that he wouldn’t return until 2027, the ‘Stylebender’ has since said that his return was closer than fight fans realized. However, Adesanya recently revealed that he is rehabbing some injuries that could keep him on the shelf beyond the promotion’s next big milestone event, UFC 300.
“If he’s got something that’s that big either knees, or back, or neck generally,” Joe Rogan commented after looking up a recent interview regarding Adesany’s lingering injuries. “It could be other joints, but generally when someone’s got a significant injury like that and they need a lot of time off, it could be a back thing. It could be a knee thing.”
Israel Adesanya is keeping the details of his existing ailments out of the public eye, but it appears that he is still targeting a return this summer.
Watch the full clip below:
