Fighter once loved by Dana White reportedly took allergy medicines before stellar UFC 303 KO win - Here's what happened

The final prelim fight at UFC 303 featured middleweight Joe Pyfer, who has revealed, as per well-known MMA reporter Aaron Bronsteter, that he had suffered an allergic reaction before his bout with Marc-André Barriault. This occurred hours earlier in the day.

As per the tweet, Pyfer ate some oatmeal that he did not know contained flaxseeds, which he is allergic to. His entire body broke out in hives, and instead of withdrawing from the fight, he contacted Jeff Novitzky, the Senior Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance in the UFC.

Pyfer asked him which medications he was cleared to take, and he was instructed to take a combination of Benadryl, Pepcid AC, and Claritin. Fortunately, he overcame the allergy and made it to the fight, scoring an emphatic first-round knockout against Barriault.

This will have likely endeared the middleweight knockout artist to the UFC brass, and especially promotional CEO Dana White even more than he already has. It is no secret that White is fond of Pyfer, who was the only fighter to earn a contract on Dana White's Contender Series 47.

Moreover, as Pyfer was on the verge of homelessness, White stepped in and offered him enough money to solve his situation for an entire year. It was a good deed for which the UFC CEO received praise, with Pyfer speaking glowingly of him in response.

It is not often that White pays for his fighters' rent, at least not knowingly. Pyfer will look to continue repaying the UFC CEO for the helping hand he had lent him by building himself into a star with whom the promotion can work. With a long road ahead of him, Pyfer will begin his climb back to the top.

His win over Barriault was his first since a disheartening setback against middleweight veteran Jack Hermansson, which the heavy-handed 185-pounder believes taught him all he needed to know.