Joe Pyfer is back to being Joe Pyfer.
The middleweight prospect closed out the UFC 303 preliminaries with a statement win as he needed less than 90 seconds to score a knockout of Marc-Andre Barriault that left the Canadian fighter face-down on the canvas.
Watch Pyfer’s explosive KO below.
Barriault had little to offer in the brief contest as Pyfer walked him down early and gave him little room to operate. With Barriault backed up to the fence, Pyfer picked his shots, eventually connecting with a right hand haymaker to the temple that jolted Barriault’s sense. More sledgehammer punches followed and Barriault eventually crumbled.
The official time of the stoppage was 1:25 of Round 1.
This was an important win for Pyfer (13-3), who began his UFC career with three straight finishes before losing a decision to veteran contender Jack Hermansson this past February. Pyfer reminded everyone that he’s still one to watch at 185 pounds with his sixth win in his past seven fights.
Afterwards, Pyfer acknowledged that the Hermansson loss was an eye-opening moment for him, and then called for a matchup with Scotland’s Paul Craig.