After winning 23 of his first 24 MMA fights, former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has lost four of his last five fights, including back-to-back defeats to Dricus du Plessis and Nassourdine Imavov. Adesanya faces a must-win situation if he wants to return to the middleweight title mix amid a three-fight losing streak.
After Khamzat Chimaev claimed the UFC Middleweight Championship, it reopened the doors for Adesanya and Du Plessis’ other rivals to challenge for the title. Adesanya is widely regarded as one of the greatest middleweights of all time, beating the likes of Alex Pereira, Jared Cannonier and Anderson Silva.
Although Adesanya recently admitted that the title is not his main focus at this stage of his career, he certainly wouldn’t pass up another opportunity to reclaim the middleweight throne. To do this, Adesanya will have to get past one of the UFC’s most powerful punchers.
Israel Adesanya will return in the main event of UFC Seattle on March 28
As announced by UFC CEO Dana White during a recent Instagram livestream, Adesanya will face rising contender Joe Pyfer (15-3) in the UFC Seattle main event on March 28 at Climate Pledge Arena. The card also features a rematch between top flyweight contenders Maycee Barber and former champion Alexa Grasso.
Pyfer again poses a huge knockout threat for Adesanya, who hasn’t fought since a knockout loss to Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia last February. The former Contender series by Dana White standout Pyfer has won three straight bouts, including a recent face-crank submission against Abus Magomedov at UFC 320.
Pyfer has won three in a row since suffering his first UFC loss to Jack Hermansson in February 2024, a fight that marked his first UFC main event. Now Pyfer will look for redemption in five rounds against former champion Adesanya.
The March 28 UFC event marks the promotion’s return to Seattle after hosting a UFC Fight Night event last year, headlined by Henry Cejudo vs. Song Yadong. The full UFC Seattle card is expected to be announced and finalized in the coming weeks.
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