Joe Pyfer found God before his toughest UFC fight. But the South Jersey native says to ‘expect violence.’

Although he battled through four surgeries in the last five years, survived childhood abuse from an unsupportive father, and found himself homeless at one point in his life, fighting has always been Joe Pyfer’s No. 1 priority.

At least, that’s how it used to be.

Now, the 29-year-old Vineland native has a different mindset as he heads into the biggest fight of his career on Saturday night in Seattle.

“I’ve really been able to let go of the immediate materialistic things and the social acceptance of the world of what they call normal,” Pyfer said. “You know, this isn’t life-impacting the way people make it sound. It is when it comes to a materialistic point, as far as money and trajectory. But I don’t want to live for that anymore. I live for God first, my girlfriend second, and then our family will be third.

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“I would say fighting’s in the top five, but it’s not my top priority. And I just feel like that allows me to be free and just go out there and not feel the pressure or anxiety that I used to feel beforehand, making it all or nothing for myself.”

Pyfer credits his new mindset to his evolving relationship with God.

“I’ve always considered myself a Christian and a believer in Jesus and God, but I didn’t have the compelling feelings to pray every day and have a relationship with God and Jesus. I just didn’t have the discipline to stay committed to it,” Pyfer said. “Being a true follower is the hardest road you can take because of the accountability and the humility you have to understand when you’re wrong. So, I would say in the past six weeks, it’s when it’s really hit me. Where I felt like I had a complete shift in my life and my heart and my soul.”

That newfound discipline will be put on display Saturday night as he prepares to compete against his toughest opponent to date: former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya (24-5). Although Adesanya is coming off a three-fight skid — losing to Nassourdine Imavov, Dricus Du Plessis, and Sean Strickland — Pyfer (15-3) isn’t taking his opponent lightly.

“I get to fight one of the greatest middleweights of all time,” Pyfer said. “I would definitely say I probably was not the most deserving on paper. But at the end of the day, I’m an exciting guy to watch and I think that’s what he’s looking for right now in his career. His three losses are all [to] guys that are in the top four. So, I can’t look into the three-fight skid too much.

“We’re 0-0 against each other. I expect him to show up and be motivated because there’s no pressure of the title.”

Adesanya is No. 4 in the middleweight rankings. Pyfer is ranked at No. 14, coming off a three-fight winning streak with five finishes in his last seven fights. Saturday’s UFC Fight Night will be the second time Pyfer has competed in a five-round main event matchup, previously losing to Jack Hermansson by unanimous decision in February 2024.

Although Adesanya, 36, has more experience with the championship rounds, successfully defending his title five times, Pyfer is prepared for a potential five-round battle. But he is looking to end things early.

“With this being a five-round fight, I’ve been preparing a little differently as far as my programming,” Pyfer said. “I’ve trained my absolute butt off and I feel relatively healthy. I’m in a good mindset. He’s a great fighter. And I’m a good fighter aspiring to be a great fighter. …

“But I go out there and I always go for the finish. [Fans can] expect violence. That’s what I do. That’s what you expect when you watch a fight. I’m not giving them any more than what they’re asking for.”

With a dominant win over the former two-time middleweight champion, Pyfer hopes to get into the title conversation.

“[With a victory], I think I get a chance for the title,” Pyfer said. “Or I get a chance to fight for the No. 1 contender and then the title. But I only think that’s possible if I get a finish over Izzy. If I don’t get a finish, then I definitely have to fight one more. But, I’m not in a rush to get the title. If that’s what they want at the end of the day, I think my fighting is going to speak for itself.”

UFC Fight Night will be televised on Paramount+ on Saturday at 8 p.m.

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