Adesanya Rejects Retirement After Fourth Straight Loss

Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya dismissed talk of retirement after suffering his fourth consecutive defeat. He was stopped in the second round by Joe Pyfer in Seattle on Saturday night, adding to earlier losses to Sean Strickland, Dricus du Plessis and Nassourdine Imavov.

Adesanya, 36, last won in 2023 when he avenged a prior loss by beating Alex Pereira, but he made it clear he has no plans to quit. In his post-fight remarks he said he’ll keep coming back no matter the setbacks, insisting he won’t walk away and that setbacks won’t define him.

Pyfer, who finished Adesanya inside the distance for the third straight stoppage loss for Izzy, had high praise for his opponent. He called Adesanya one of the smartest fighters ever and said, in his view, Adesanya is the greatest middleweight of all time.

During the bout Adesanya began by defending well and landing leg kicks, but Pyfer rallied and landed a series of damaging shots — a left hook, a body blow and a right hand — before throwing Adesanya to the mat and continuing with strikes from the back, prompting the referee to stop the fight.

Adesanya acknowledged Pyfer brought his best and said he expected a tough test. He also noted it had been 13 months since his last fight and that he wanted to feel active in competition. Despite the loss, Adesanya reiterated his commitment to keep fighting and not to step away from the sport.