Dana White has confirmed that Israel Adesanya will return to the UFC after being out of action for almost a year. White announced the comeback during an Instagram live stream, one of his regular ways of revealing big fights. Adesanya has not fought since February last year, when he lost to Nassourdine Imavov in Saudi Arabia, which extended his losing streak to three fights.
The former middleweight champion will headline UFC Seattle, where he will face Joe Pyfer, who is currently ranked number 15 in the division. This will be the first time in several years that Adesanya is fighting an opponent outside the top ten. The fight is scheduled for March 28 at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Dana White also confirmed that the co-main event will be a rematch between Alexa Grasso and Maycee Barber.
UFC Seattle marks the promotion’s return to the Washington venue after last year’s event ended controversially. The previous main event between Henry Cejudo and Song Yadong was stopped due to an eye poke, resulting in a technical decision that disappointed many fans.
After the announcement, Israel Adesanya shared a short hype video on social media and posted a brief message saying he was ready to go again. Joe Pyfer reacted with a longer statement, saying he felt grateful for the chance to fight one of the greatest middleweights of all time and promised to put in hard work ahead of the bout.
Israel Adesanya to face Joe Pyfer in UFC Seattle main event on March 28
Israel Adesanya will face Joe Pyfer in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Seattle on March 28. The fight will take place at the Climate Pledge Arena and was confirmed by UFC CEO Dana White. Adesanya, a former middleweight champion, is looking to bounce back after three straight losses. His last win came in April 2023 when he beat Alex Pereira.
In his most recent fight in February last year, Adesanya was stopped in the second round by Nassourdine Imavov. Before that, he lost to Dricus du Plessis by submission and to Sean Strickland by unanimous decision.
Joe Pyfer goes into the fight on a strong run of form. He is aiming for his fourth win in a row. His latest victory came last October when he submitted Abusupiyan Magomedov in the second round. Earlier wins include a decision over Kelvin Gastelum and a first-round knockout of Marc-Andre Barriault. Pyfer will be facing a former champion for the first time in his UFC career.
The co-main event will see Alexa Grasso take on Maycee Barber. Grasso, a former flyweight champion from Mexico, is coming off two decision losses to Natalia Silva and Valentina Shevchenko. She had been scheduled to fight Rose Namajunas earlier but pulled out due to injury. Maycee Barber enters the bout on a seven-fight winning streak and recently defeated Karine Silva by unanimous decision.
Several other fights are also set for the Seattle card, with more matchups expected to be announced soon as the event approaches.
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