Bo Nickal says Joe Pyfer fight moved from UFC 335 to headline UFC Cleveland in February

Bo Nickal says his middleweight fight with Joe Pyfer is no longer taking place at UFC 335 in December. Speaking on stage on Thursday, October 15, at a political rally for Ohio governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, Nickal announced that the bout has been moved to February, where he and Pyfer will headline a UFC event in Cleveland.

The UFC has not yet officially announced the change or the Cleveland card. For now, the news comes from Nickal himself.

What Nickal said

"First off, I got a call backstage, and I do have some news, which is pretty exciting. I had my boy right here mention my fight in December. It actually got moved to February, where I'm going to be main eventing in Cleveland," Nickal told the crowd, according to Heavy and video of the speech shared on X. "So I'm sure I'm going to see a bunch of you guys there supporting, and yeah, appreciate you guys. We're going to go smash this dude and then go take the belt."

According to Heavy, there is no further information about the Cleveland event beyond Nickal's statement that it will take place in February 2027 and that his fight with Pyfer will be the main event.

What it means for UFC 335

Nickal vs Pyfer had been booked for UFC 335 in December. Losing the matchup takes one of the more anticipated middleweight fights off that card, and the UFC has not said whether another bout will fill its spot.

For Nickal, the move means a headlining spot on a UFC card. The former three-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion at Penn State has been one of the promotion's most talked-about prospects since signing through Dana White's Contender Series.

Why the fight matters

Heavy describes the matchup as a fight between two top-15 middleweights. According to the outlet, Nickal has won his last two fights by knockout, over Rodolfo Vieira and Kyle Daukaus, since suffering the only loss of his career against Reinier de Ridder in May 2025. Pyfer's biggest win came in March, when he finished former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya at UFC Seattle, Heavy noted.

The winner is expected to move close to the top of the division and into the title conversation.

Confirmed vs reported

Confirmed: Nickal publicly announced the change himself on October 15, and video of the announcement is circulating on X. Not yet confirmed: the UFC has not officially announced the Cleveland event, its exact date or venue, or any change to the UFC 335 lineup. POP MMA will update this story when the promotion confirms the details.