Israel Adesanya suffered his fourth straight loss after being stopped by rising American contender Joe Pyfer via technical knockout in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday.
Pyfer (16-3) delivered a career-defining performance, finishing the former middleweight champion at 4:18 of the second round at the Climate Pledge Arena.
The bout began with Adesanya (24-6) displaying sharp movement and striking in the opening round, but Pyfer weathered the early pressure and shifted momentum with powerful punches and a decisive takedown.
In the second round, Pyfer landed heavy strikes along the fence, took Adesanya to the canvas, transitioned to full mount, and unleashed a ground-and-pound assault that forced referee Herb Dean to stop the fight.
After the win, Pyfer explained his aggressive approach: “I just have this mentality where I don’t care; I’m going to search and destroy.”
Despite the defeat, Adesanya remained resolute about his future:
“I’m just going to keep going and going and going.”
The loss raises fresh questions about the 36-year-old Nigerian-New Zealander’s future in the middleweight division, which he once dominated. For Pyfer, the victory over a former champion is a major statement and could propel him deeper into title contention.
This result marks a challenging period for Adesanya, who has not won since regaining the middleweight title in April 2023.