Israel Adesanya vs. Joe Pyfer squared off earlier tonight (Sat., Mar. 28, 2026) at UFC Seattle LIVE on Paramount+ from inside Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington. After a very competitive fight, Joe Pyfer secured the TKO victory in round two.
Adesanya opened the fight with his kicks, and Pyfer responded with a full commitment takedown attempt. Though Pyfer was deep on the body lock, Adesanya kept the fight upright and escaped to center. Adesanya landed a big step knee, but Pyfer returned fire with a heavy left hook. Adesanya’s low kicks were landing well and already starting to take an effect towards the end of the first. Just as Adesanya started to really flow on the feet, Pyfer exploded into a takedown and landed some nice elbows.
Still, it was a solid start from the former champion.
“Stylebender” came out aggressive to start round two, blasting liver kicks and ripping into the calf. Pyfer pushed his way into the clinch and broke dirty with effective punches. The fight got more and more chaotic, as Adesanya willingly stood in the pocket and traded punches with the young knockout artist. All of a sudden, Adesanya was hurt! Pyfer took him down and landed in mount! Adesanya was in a real bad way when Pyfer took his back, but he managed to avoid the strangle.
Still, he was in a terrible position. Adesanya ended up flattened out on bottom, and he just couldn’t escape from the heavy pressure. Pyfer pounded away to the finish, forcing the referee to intervene.
Check out the video highlights below:
Israel Adesanya looked sharp for a while in this fight! He was doing real damage to the lead leg and body of Pyfer, breaking him down … and then suddenly started brawling. Perhaps Adesanya just got a little too confident? Even while starting to tire, Pyfer is still very capable of throwing fast, powerful punches, and he definitely caught Adesanya several times.
Pyfer also deserves credit for mixing it up so well. He wrestled offensively, attacked in the clinch, and boxed from the pocket. As a result of his well-rounded performance and Adesanya’s aggression, “Bodybagz” just picked up the best win of his young career!
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