Israel Adesanya suffered a fourth consecutive loss after being stopped by Joe Pyfer in the UFC Seattle main event, but the former middleweight champion dismissed any suggestion of retirement in the aftermath.
The defeat marks Adesanya’s fourth straight setback, with three of those losses coming via knockout or submission, as Pyfer delivered a statement victory over one of the division’s most accomplished fighters. Despite the result, Adesanya remained resolute about continuing his career.
“You keep going again and again and again and again and again,” Adesanya said in his post-fight interview. “I’m not f*cking leaving. You’ll never stop me. I might get beaten but I’ll always remain undefeated.”
Adesanya showed flashes of his trademark striking early in the fight, landing clean punches and targeting Pyfer’s lead leg with kicks, but momentum shifted when Pyfer took the contest to the ground. After nearly securing a rear-naked choke, the American fighter maintained top control and delivered sustained strikes, prompting referee Herb Dean to stop the fight.
“I expected the best Joe Pyfer,” Adesanya said. “I knew this was his biggest fight ever so he’s going to bring his best and he did. There was nothing surprising. I expected the best, and he brought the best. I said before this fight, it’s been 13 months, I wanted to feel like I’ve been in a fight, and he gave me just that. Like I said to him at the weigh-ins, they gave me a shot, now it’s my turn to give him a shot and he earned it and he did so great. So congrats to Joe Pyfer for this.”
UFC CEO Dana White praised Adesanya’s performance despite the loss and did not indicate any immediate plans to discuss retirement with the former champion, a stance he has taken with other fighters in the past.
“He looked good,” White said post-fight “He looked fast. Using angles. I thought he looked great. For Pyfer to come in at No. 14 and beat Israel Adesanya, one of the best middleweights ever and the No. 4 ranked guy, it’s pretty impressive and to finish him.”
With the result, Pyfer is expected to move up the middleweight rankings following the highest-profile win of his career, while Adesanya faces questions over his next move after an extended losing streak.
Adesanya, a former long-reigning champion in the UFC middleweight division, remains one of the sport’s most recognisable figures, and his insistence on continuing suggests he is not yet ready to step away despite recent setbacks.
