Joe Pyfer's continued to rise up the ranks at UFC 316, though perhaps not in the strongest performance as some would have liked against future Hall of Famer Kelvin Gastelum in one of the featured fights of the evening.
Pyfer came close to finishing the fight twice during the opening round. Very early on, he dropped Gastelum with a right hand before swarming on him. Pyfer went on to dominate the round, landing a strong head kick that rocked Gastelum before dropping him with another right hand.
Pyfer looked to get back to work in the second round, using his physical advantages as the two hand fought in the first minute. Pyfer landed a strong right hand that appeared to hurt Gastelum, who despite his feints and experience, wasn't able to do much damage on Pyfer. Gastelum managed to get into a rhythm and find a jab late, landing in close, and especially to the body. Pyfer, meanwhile, appeared to slow down and only threw single punches during the course of the round.
Both men appeared to have moments in the third round. While Pyfer worked a notable combination early, Gastelum prevented a takedown attempt of his -- and Gastelum appeared to land stronger punches late in the round. It wasn't enough, however, as the judges all scored the fight for Pyfer.
Joe Pyfer Scores Decision Win Over Kelvin Gastelum At UFC 316
Pyfer has now won seven of his last eight. This marked his first fight in about a year, having most recently knocked out Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC 303.
Gastelum has now lost four of his last six, though he came into this bout off a win over Daniel Rodriguez last year.