Joe Pifer wants to fight someone he hates and claims he has found the perfect opponent.
On Saturday at UFC 303, Peiffer scored a first-round knockout victory over Marc-Andre Barrio, helping “The Bodybags” bounce back from his first UFC loss of this year, a unanimous decision to Jack Hermansson in February.
Pifer had mixed emotions following his win at UFC 303.
“I felt angry, I felt happy, and I thought, ‘Look, you motherfuckers, you saltbankso motherfuckers, here are you motherfuckers who’ve been sitting around for months talking shit about me and harassing me like shit, and I’ve been sitting around and shutting up,'” Pifer said on “The MMA Hour.”
“I didn’t do any interviews for the fight. I didn’t do anything unless it was required by UFC. I pretty much kept quiet until fight week. I said I had nothing to say until I beat him and then I’d tell my story. And I did.”
Pifer nominated veteran Paul Craig after UFC 303, and the Scotsman quickly verbally accepted the bout.
@ufc I accept !!!
— Paul Craig (@PaulCraig)
June 30, 2024
Pifer explained that he has had a strong dislike for Craig since their clash at UFC 292 in August 2023 at the TD Garden Arena in Boston. Pifer made eye contact with Craig as he passed by, but the “Bear Jew” didn’t respond to him at all. Pifer was upset that Craig exuded a “hitman vibe” and has had a dislike for him ever since. Pifer claims that he even orchestrated a showdown with Craig before, but ultimately ended up fighting Hermansson.
“Maybe I’m being mean, I don’t know,” Pifer said. “I was with Shawn at UFC Boston. [Strickland] And I love walking beside him [Craig]”And we looked at each other and he didn’t nod. He didn’t acknowledge me at all. Like he had no respect. He was just this cold-hearted asshole, like a fucking murderer. I don’t know. That made me uncomfortable. And then after he fought Brendan Allen, he was top 15 or whatever, so I tried to take the fight out of respect. And obviously I got the fight with Jack and he ignored it.”
Pifer also dislikes Craig’s grappling-heavy fighting style, and that animosity works perfectly for Pifer, who wants to fight someone he dislikes.
“I don’t know, I hate that guy,” Pifer said. “He always smears his face on people, makes them look like smurfs, and then as soon as he gets hit he turns on his back and runs around on the mat. I don’t respect that, she fights like a bitch. And honestly, I want to fight guys I don’t like. And for some reason, that guy pisses me off, I don’t know. I hate guys that sit around and pretend they live that life and then they get tagged and they drop to the ground. Maybe he didn’t do anything to me and I’m exaggerating more than I actually am, which I think he is, but I don’t care. I don’t like that guy and I’m going to fight him. This is a hurt job, you know?”
