Contenders series Product Joe Pifer will face off against veteran contender Jack Hermansson this Saturday (February 10, 2024) at UFC Vegas 85 inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Take on tough challenges.
Become Joe Pifer! “Bodybagz” really stands out because it has everything the UFC wants in its game. Contenders series search. He is rapidly rising through the ranks by breaking power punching records, fighting within the top ranks, and scoring quick finishes. Next, he has a big chance to break into the top 10 in his fourth UFC fight.
Interestingly, there are (more than usual) significant financial incentives to win this battle. usually, Contenders series Contract — it is do not have The rewards are particularly high and expire after the fourth battle. Unless Pifer has already renegotiated, he’s fighting for influence and a better paycheck for the rest of his UFC career.
Let’s take a closer look at his skill set.
Impressive
Pifer is clearly just a guy who wants to break his right hand at any time. Fortunately, he is well trained to set up his shots and boxes well in between flurries. Oh, and regardless of whether the punch machine was malfunctioning or not, the guy threw a super powerful punch!
First and foremost, Pifer is a boxer. He stands with his lead foot tilted slightly inward, which helps him land a beautiful check hook (like the second shot) Contenders series (looks) but also saw him absorb a calf kick. Since he’s still in the early stages of his career, I’d classify his calf kick issues as a potential issue rather than a true flaw, but Hermansson should be expected to pursue that lead leg. It is.
When it comes to kicks, Pifer uses his right roundhouse well. He tends to throw naked, but he’s hard enough that it’s difficult to counter. Every now and then, Pifer slams in his left hook and digs in a right low kick, and it’s beautiful! Against Abdul Razak Alhassan, Peifer successfully hit a mid-range kick to the southpaw’s open side.
Generally, Pifer wants to fight his opponent in the pocket, ideally along the fence. He tends to push the back of his jab, which gives him a lot of pop. Sometimes he doubles down on that jab, which tends to work very well.
When Pipher drives the enemy along the fence or otherwise persuades the enemy to remain still, the right hand begins to fly. Pifer has an excellent right hook and can evade guards with sudden speed and power. He also mixes up his angles, sometimes straight toward the chin, sometimes with more of an overhand arc.
Pifer mixes body shots into his attacks well, which greatly increases his chances of landing a haymaker. His preferred combos are flashing a jab and landing a right hook to the body (an underutilized shot in mixed martial arts), or shifting his head over his left leg and ripping a lever hook, followed by an overhand. It is to bring out the. A left hook to the body and an overhand are classic combinations, and Pifer uses them well.
Another great boxing habit of Pifer is a hook swing followed by a hard jab down the middle.
Pifers tend to retreat in a straight line, moving their heads only when they hit a fence, so their hind legs are somewhat weak. That said, putting pressure on Peifer remains a dangerous prospect. Fighters looking to press Pifer still need to remain solid defensively, as he can throw a mean check hook or plant a right hand that can quickly turn the tide.
wrestling
Pifer’s wrestling is still kind of an x-factor.
In his match with Alhassan, Peifer demonstrated excellent timing, quickness, and strength. On several occasions, his timing and physicality allowed him to duck under a swing and throw the judoka into the air, easily knocking Alhassan off his feet. In this match, he ducked into a good bodylock position before causing Alhassan to fall, and his clinch takedowns seemed just as powerful.
No one has ever beaten Pifer defensively in his official UFC career…but no one has even tried.How harshly do we judge Pifer for his actions? Contender series When he lost to Dustin Stoltzfus at age 23, was he injured on a slam takedown? Or maybe they lost in district a year ago? Neither seems to have any particular connection to the fighter that became Pipher.
Hopefully Hermansson’s match will challenge and reveal more of this aspect of his game.
brazilian jiu jitsu
Peifer has three fights via submission, including his most recent victory over Abdul Razak Alhassan.
On the other side of Alhassan, Pifer kept his head slightly low and scored two takedowns, allowing Alhassan to choke him with a guillotine attempt. In the first time, Alhassan was able to secure a good angle and take advantage of his opponent’s neck control/threat to stand up.
Pifer adjusted with a late takedown. This time he was able to step into half guard on the correct side, largely nullifying the threat of a guillotine choke. Suddenly, Alhassan’s arm becomes stuck, similar to the Von Frew choke scenario. Pifer locked his hands, trapping his head and arms, then sliced through his guard with a choke. His arm triangle is fixed!
Pifer has one submission loss on his 2019 record. Again, Pifer was only 22 years old, so I hesitate to see any real relevance to this loss, but it’s still worth watching this little clip to see the progression in his overall ability. .
When doing the main event, consider Jonoven Patti vs. Joe Pifer. Many breakdowns I’ve seen (including Dan Hardy) didn’t even mention this fight. pic.twitter.com/yYDIaT3FUB
— Vovin (@vovin5) February 6, 2024
conclusion
Pifer is clearly a well-coached talent with incredible physical assets. However, he is completely unproven in all aspects of classic middleweight. Can he survive being defeated? Will he collapse when he gets tired? What if Hermansson refuses to go away? This fight could reveal some of those answers, or we could see Pifer secure another brutally quick finish against his toughest opponent to date.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt Andrew Richardson is a professional martial artist who trains with Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, California. In addition to learning alongside world-class talent, Andrew has scouted opponents and developed winning strategies for some of the sport’s most elite fighters.