Adesanya suffers fourth-straight loss to Pyfer

Joe Pyfer produced the biggest result of his career with a second-round technical knockout over Israel Adesanya at UFC Fight Night 271 on March 28, 2026.

The finish came at 4:18 of the round inside Climate Pledge Arena, extending Adesanya’s losing run to four and pushing him further away from the possibility of another title bout.

The opening round followed Adesanya’s preferred structure. He worked behind the jab, managed distance, and added calf kicks that limited Pyfer’s forward entries. 

Takedown attempts from Pyfer were defended, and most of the exchanges took place at range, where Adesanya held the advantage. 

Pyfer absorbed kicks while trying to find a route inside, with few clean connections in return.

That pattern broke early in the second round. Adesanya stepped into closer exchanges rather than maintaining range, allowing Pyfer to operate in tighter spaces. 

A left hook from Pyfer landed clean and forced a reaction, followed by a body shot that reduced Adesanya’s pace. 

A brief pause for an accidental eye poke interrupted the sequence, but the shift in action persisted even after the fight resumed.

Pyfer took advantage of the development by mixing strikes with a level change, securing a bodylock, and completing the takedown. 

On the mat, he advanced position quickly, moving to the back as Adesanya defended the initial choke attempt.

With control established, Pyfer turned to ground-and-pound, landing a flurry of elbows and short punches without interruption. 

The sequence drew a stoppage from referee Mark Smith, ending the contest after sustained unanswered strikes.

Adesanya’s record now falls to 24-6 as he still searches for a victory since defeating Alex Pereira at UFC 287 in April 2023 to reclaim the middleweight title. 

The recent stretch includes multiple stoppage losses, placing his position at the top level under increased pressure as he continues his career.

Pyfer improves to 16-3 and moves from outside the top tier into immediate relevance in the division. 

Entering the fight ranked 14th, he now adds a former champion to his record and positions himself for higher-ranked opposition in his next outing.

A future success against another top-ranked fighter could put him in contention for a title fight.