It's no secret that Joe Pyfer is one of Dana White's new favorite fighters. So much so that the UFC president apparently gave the fighter something under the table.
Or at least that's what some fans on social media thought after hearing Pyfer's comments at UFC Vegas 60. During his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier, the Philadelphian said:
"I just wanna give a quick shout-out too, Daniel, if you don't mind. Thank you to Dana White. That man gave me cash on the side and gave me a place to live for the next year..."
Check out Joe Pyfer's interview below:
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
Some UFC fans on Twitter interpreted Pyfer's comments as a slip-up. They believe that the Contender Series standout might have gotten himself in trouble with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Others speculated that White couldn't be too pleased with Pyfer's remarks. Meanwhile, another segment of Twitter users surmised that White takes care of some fighters, despite criticism of the UFC's pay structure.
However, one commenter pointed out that the UFC resorted to underhanded practices rather than increasing fighter pay:
"Pretty crazy he has to thank his contractor for putting him up and giving him the [probably] 20k-20k instead of compensating your athletes with legitimate living wages."
Dana White's Contender Series alum Joe Pyfer impresses in his UFC debut
Pyfer came into UFC Vegas 60 with a ton of hype for the newcomer. This is thanks in large part to his viral technical knockout victory over Osman Diaz at Dana White's Contender Series in July.
Pyfer's stock instantly rose when White heaped praise on him during the event's post-fight press conference. The UFC boss even hailed 'Bodybagz' as the perfect example of how UFC hopefuls should act:
"If you wanna be in the UFC and this is where you wanna be, act like Joe Pyfer. Okay? Be Joe Pyfer. Be excited to be here. Be fired up to fight. Try to finish the fight. Try to win."
Catch Dana White's interview below:
Fighting on the biggest stage in MMA, Pyfer rose to the occasion. The 26-year-old earned his first UFC win by stopping Alen Amedovski in the first round.