Pyfer vs Nickal Preview: A Striker's Knockdowns vs a Wrestler's Takedowns
Every striker-versus-wrestler matchup gets sold as a clash of styles. This one actually has the numbers to back it up. Joe "Bodybagz" Pyfer (16-3-0), the #6 middleweight, faces #14 Bo Nickal (9-1-0) at UFC 335 on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Both are 30-year-old Americans. Pyfer has been in the UFC since September 2022, Nickal since March 2023.
- Where they fight: 85% of Pyfer's significant strikes come at range, just 2% in the clinch. Nickal is at 78% standing and 15% on the ground.
- Power: Pyfer has 10 knockouts in 16 wins (63%), seven first-round finishes and a 1.09 knockdown average. Nickal sits at 0.85, with four knockouts, four submissions and six first-round finishes.
- Grappling: Nickal averages 3.12 takedowns and 2.27 submission attempts per 15 minutes, more than double Pyfer's 1.45 and 0.91.
- Defense: Nickal's takedown defense is 100%, Pyfer's 63%. Nickal also absorbs only 1.93 significant strikes a minute with 60% striking defense; Pyfer takes 3.22 with 53%.
- Accuracy: Nickal connects on 62% of his significant strikes, Pyfer on 44%, though Pyfer is the busier puncher at 3.52 landed per minute to Nickal's 3.36.
Physically, it's a wash. Pyfer is an inch taller at 6'2", while Nickal has an inch more reach at 76 inches. Neither man tends to hang around: Nickal's UFC fights average 5:53, Pyfer's 8:16. Pyfer's record leans heavily on the knockout, with four submissions and two decisions alongside those 10 KOs. Nickal's nine wins split evenly between knockouts and submissions, plus one decision.
So the shape of the fight is clear enough. Pyfer wants distance and exchanges, where his knockdown numbers outpace Nickal's. Nickal wants to change levels, and he'll be shooting on a man who stops 63% of takedowns. The question is simple: can Pyfer keep it standing long enough to land something heavy, or does Nickal get him down before he finds his range?
The early prelims start at 2 p.m. local time, the prelims at 4 p.m. and the main card at 6 p.m. Get your seat: Pyfer vs Nickal tickets.