Israel Adesanya will return to the cage at the end of March as the former two-time UFC middleweight champion bids to get back in the win ways against Joe Pyfer after a three-fight slip.
Adesanya (24-5, 16 KOs) is one of the UFC’s most recognisable fighters but has slipped down the 185lb rankings after a run of just one win in five bouts since late 2022.
The Nigerian, who served as the headliner in 13 of his last 14 appearances, arrives in Emerald City seeking his first win since his epic knockout of Alex Pereira at UFC 287.
“The Last Stylebender” has been one of the defining fighters not only in his division, but the sport as a whole for the last six years, and at 36 years old, he is keen to maintain his standing in the division’s title picture.
On the other side, Pyfer hopes this fight is what allows him to break into the division’s elite.
After earning his contract in his second appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series, Pyfer bulldozed his way through six of his seven opponents to date, scoring finishes in all but one of those wins.
His lone loss came in his first main event assignment against Jack Hermansson, but Pyfer responded with a knockout win over Marc-André Barriault, a decision victory over Kelvin Gastelum, and a submission win over Abus Magomedov.
He hopes March 28 represents a changing of the guard in the middleweight division.
Since Adesanya arrived on the roster in February 2018, Adesanya has stood as one of the most sophisticated and crafty strikers in the division.
His 13 knockdowns are tied with Anderson Silva for the most in the division’s history.
Although Pyfer hasn’t racked up quite as many as Adesanya, his 1.2 knockdowns per 15 minutes are good for fourth among middleweights, but he also boasts four wins via tapout.