The UFC has officially announced a marquee middleweight clash for the Pacific Northwest: Israel Adesanya will face Joe Pyfer in the main event of UFC Fight Night 271: Adesanya vs. Pyfer on Saturday, March 28, at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington. The card streams live on Paramount+.
Adesanya (24-5), the two-time UFC Middleweight Champion, looks to snap a brutal three-fight losing skid and reassert himself among the division's elite. The Nigerian-New Zealander known as "The Last Stylebender" made history during his first title reign with five consecutive successful defenses, and reclaimed the belt in spectacular fashion with a second-round knockout of Alex Pereira at UFC 287 in April 2023.
Since then, however, the wheels have come off: he dropped the title to Sean Strickland by unanimous decision at UFC 293, was submitted by Dricus du Plessis in a championship rematch at UFC 305, and was stopped by TKO just 30 seconds into round two by Nassourdine Imavov at a UFC Fight Night in Riyadh in February 2025. A strong performance in Seattle could go a long way toward turning the page on that difficult stretch and putting him back in the title conversation.
Standing across from him is the surging Joe Pyfer (15-3), one of the most exciting young talents in the 185-pound division. Nicknamed "Bodybagz" for good reason, Pyfer has racked up nine knockout victories and four Performance of the Night bonuses in his UFC tenure, quickly building a reputation as one of middleweight's most dangerous finishers. Currently ranked No. 15 in the division, a statement win over a legend like Adesanya would be the biggest result of his career and could vault him into the upper tier of the rankings.
UFC Fight Night 271: Adesanya vs. Pyfer takes place March 28 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle and airs live on Paramount+. The full fight card is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
