UFC fighter Joe Pyfer has revealed that Dana White gave him accommodation for a year following his success on the Contender Series.

It’s been quite the whirlwind for Joe Pyfer over the course of the last few months.

Back in July, the man known as ‘Bodybagz’ knocked out Ozzy Diaz in his second Contender Series appearance to finally secure the UFC contract he’d been waiting a long time to obtain.

After an arm injury in summer 2020 delayed his route to the top, Pyfer was more determined than ever to make a statement against Diaz - and that’s exactly what he did.

The 26-year-old went on to make his full promotional debut this past weekend when he was given the task of battling Alen Amedovski. With just over one minute remaining in the first round, he once again proved why he deserves a seat at the table by finishing Amedovski in dominant fashion.

During his post-fight interview, Pyfer emotionally revealed that UFC president Dana White had helped him financially after his run on DWCS. In a media scrum later that night, Joe went into more detail about what happened.

Video: Joe Pyfer praises Dana White

“I told [Shelby] I need to talk to him, because I need to thank him, because he gave me a home for a year,” Pyfer said. “He gave me money on the side of Contender. And, really, that secured me being able to have a place to live for the next year, on the house of Dana. I think the guy gets s**t on a lot for not being a good dude or, you know, whatever bulls**t that people say sometimes. I don’t know any of the other stories, but as far as how he’s treated me, he’s treated me gracefully.

“He’s my boss, and I want to like him, I want to respect him, and I have all the respect in the world for him. So, to me, it means something to go shake my boss’ hand after I go to work for him.”

Divisive Dana

Dana White is known for being a divisive figure, largely due to the issue of fighter pay for those competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

When it comes to the athletes themselves, though, White tends to be pretty popular, often being affectionally referred to as ‘uncle Dana’ - a title we can’t imagine he’s going to shed anytime soon given the company’s continued success.