Bo Nickal Says Joe Pyfer Fight Moved From UFC 335 to Cleveland Main Event

Bo Nickal's middleweight showdown with Joe Pyfer is off the December calendar. The UFC had the bout slated for UFC 335 on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, announced during the UFC 332 broadcast earlier this month. Then Nickal, in one of the stranger reveal spots you'll see, dropped the news himself from the stage of a Vivek Ramaswamy political rally in Ohio on Thursday night.

Nickal, now 9-1 with a #14 ranking, told the crowd he'd gotten a call backstage: the fight had been pushed to February, and he'd be headlining a Fight Night card in Cleveland. He added that he intends to smash Pyfer and then go after the belt. No specific date has been attached to the event yet.

Pyfer Isn't Playing Along

Pyfer caught wind of the clip and fired back on Instagram, mocking Nickal's 'go smash this dude' line and framing the matchup as poor kid versus rich kid. He also said he'd take Nickal's fake dreams away. It's cheap heat, but it's the kind of friction that turns a regional Fight Night headliner into something people actually tune in for.

Why This Fight Matters

The confidence runs both ways for good reason. Pyfer enters on a four-fight win streak capped by a knockout of Israel Adesanya in the UFC Seattle main event in February. Nickal, meanwhile, is rebuilding after the first loss of his career — a setback to Reinier de Ridder — and has answered with two straight knockouts, including a first-round finish of Kyle Daukaus at the UFC White House card.

Nickal's full ledger reads 9-1 with four KOs and four submissions, a nearly even split that makes him a genuine finishing threat anywhere the fight goes. The problem is résumé: Pyfer's recent win list is simply louder right now, and a loss here would stall Nickal's title talk cold.

For now, the headline is logistical. A high-profile middleweight scrap has slid off the last numbered card of 2026 and into a 2027 Fight Night slot in Cleveland. Expect the UFC to confirm the date — and the undercard — in the coming weeks.