Pyfer turns down Hernandez to wait for Nickal: “I don't think he's ready for five rounds”
The bout with Bo Nickal was pulled from UFC 335 and, according to Nickal, will take place in Cleveland in February. Joe Pyfer turned down an offer to face Anthony Hernandez instead.
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Joe Pyfer would rather wait for Bo Nickal than face a replacement opponent in December. On “The Ariel Helwani Show” on Tuesday, he confirmed that Anthony Hernandez had been offered to keep him on the December card. He called his decision a business one rather than a rejection of Hernandez. Of Nickal, he said: “I just don't think he's ready for five rounds, man.”
The middleweight bout was originally scheduled for UFC 335 on December 12 in Las Vegas. Last week, during an appearance at Miami University in Ohio, Nickal announced that the fight had been moved to February and that he would headline in Cleveland. The UFC has not yet confirmed the date or venue.
On Monday, also speaking to Helwani, Nickal explained that he had taken time off because of a physical issue he has been dealing with “since January, February”. Pyfer is confident: “I think it's a great fight for me. It's a bad, bad fight for him,” he said in an interview with Tim Welch.