Joe Pyfer

Joseph Oliver Pyfer, known to fight fans as "Bodybagz," is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Pyfer grew up in South Jersey before relocating to the Philadelphia area, where he still lives and trains. He began grappling as a young child and took up wrestling in high school, laying the foundation for the well-rounded game he later brought into professional MMA. He turned pro in 2018 and spent several years fighting on the East Coast regional circuit for promotions including Ring of Combat, Art of War Cage Fighting and Cage Fury Fighting Championships before earning a look on Dana White's Contender Series. His first appearance on the show in 2020 ended in a TKO loss after he was injured during a slam, a stoppage that was debated among fans and media afterward. He returned to the Contender Series in 2022, earned a finish of his own, and was awarded a UFC contract.

Along the way, Pyfer collected regional middleweight titles with Art of War Cage Fighting and Ring of Combat, credentials that marked him as one of the top prospects outside the UFC roster before he arrived.

Inside the cage, Pyfer built his reputation on heavy hands and relentless forward pressure, the kind of power striking that produced a string of highlight-reel knockouts. That striking is backed by an often underrated grappling and submission game, giving him finishing threats no matter where a fight goes.

Since joining the UFC, Pyfer has recorded notable victories over Gerald Meerschaert, Abdul Razak Alhassan, Marc-André Barriault and Kelvin Gastelum