“I don’t care if it’s offensive to you. I will never go back to that country,” Joe Pyfer said in a heated rant on his Instagram story, reflecting on his experience in Mexico. ‘Bodybagz’ was originally scheduled to face middleweight veteran Kelvin Gastelum in March at the co-main event of UFC Fight Night: Mexico City. But the fight got scrapped after Pyfer fell ill, thanks to a nasty case of food poisoning from some spicy local Mexican food. On top of that, he pointed fingers at the altitude and elevation for making things worse.

Pyfer vs. Gastelum is another classic vet vs. new-age showdown that fans are hyped to see, which is why the bout ended up on the UFC 316 featured card. However, fighting in Mexico again seems completely off the table for ‘Bodybagz.’ He didn’t just lose his appetite there—he lost any desire to ever go back. The Penn state native doubled down on that stance while appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show.

He said, “Look at it this way, I don’t have to go into specifics, but if the country was so great, it wouldn’t have so many problems. What I said was misconstrued. I said ‘If that’s what fighting in that country is, then f— that place, it’s a s——,’ and so on and so forth. I don’t know why we’d risk fighting there. The risk is so great, I got sick twice, and I never said anything about it.”

It wasn’t quite a Colby Covington moment, dissing an entire country in front of a packed crowd. But Pyfer’s statement raised some eyebrows. While notable Mexican fighters have yet to fully respond, someone else jumped into the mix. Russia’s Azamat Bekoev, who made his UFC debut earlier this year, clapped back in a similar tone. Taking to X, he shared his own take: “One time I ate a Philly cheesesteak and had diarrhea. Now I hate USA.”

Taking shots at a country’s food and hospitality can easily stir up some bad blood, and that might just be the case here. Same for Bekoev’s  comments, which looked like an attempt to pick a future fight. With UFC 316 fast approaching, all eyes are on how Kelvin Gastelum will respond to Joe Pyfer calling Mexico, his country of origin, a “s–t hole.” Is a new rivalry brewing? Maybe. But from Pyfer’s side, it seems less personal and more professional—he sees this fight against a seasoned legend as a golden opportunity to prove himself.

Joe Pyfer believes the Kelvin Gastelum fight is a great opportunity for him

Joe Pyfer is known for his explosive power and ability to shut the lights out at any moment. He experienced a bit of a rough patch when veteran Jack Hermansson put a halt to his wrecking train. Snapping his three-fight win streak with a unanimous decision win. But ‘Bodybagz’ didn’t stay down for long. He bounced back in style with a first-round KO of Marc-André Barriault at UFC 303.

Now, as he’s gearing up to face a legend like Kelvin Gastelum at the upcoming UFC 316 event, the confidence is oozing too much, as he believes the Mexican is nothing but a layup fight for him. The  Penn native told Ariel Helwani, “No, I was scared that I wasn’t going to be able to run it back with him, man. I think this is a great opportunity for me. I think this fight is kind of one of them layups for me to really perform. It’s no discredit to him. I haven’t heard him say anything, to my knowledge, of him talking s–t or I’d have a different demeanor.”

It’s commendable that Gastelum agreed to run it back with Pyfer. But calling this fight a “lay-up” might be a bit of a stretch, even if Gastelum’s had a rough few years. Let’s not forget, this is the same California Mexican who pushed a prime Israel Adesanya to his absolute limit at UFC 236. Writing off that kind of experience might be a little premature.

That being said, could we see a heated rivalry spark between Joe Pyfer and Kelvin Gastelum before UFC 316? It’s possible. So, do you think both are going to throw verbal jabs before colliding at the Prudential Center arena? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!