Nigerian-born UFC star Israel Adesanya has endured his
fourth consecutive defeat after being knocked out by Joe Pyfer during their
bout in Washington on Saturday, March 28.
The former two-time middleweight champion began the
fight strongly, taking the opening round and showing early control. However,
the momentum shifted in the second round as Pyfer landed a series of powerful
strikes that turned the contest in his favour.
As the fight intensified, Pyfer capitalised on the
exchanges, eventually taking Adesanya to the ground and delivering dominant
ground strikes. With Adesanya unable to effectively respond, referee Herb Dean
stepped in to stop the fight with just 42 seconds remaining in the second
round.
The defeat extends a difficult run for Adesanya, who
was once at the peak of the middleweight division following his knockout
victory over Alex Pereira at UFC 287 in April 2023.
Since then, the Nigerian-born fighter has struggled to
regain form. He lost his title to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 via unanimous
decision, before being submitted by Dricus du Plessis in August 2024.
His losing streak continued in February 2025 when
Nassourdine Imavov stopped him in the opening round at UFC Saudi Arabia.
With four straight losses now on record, questions are
beginning to emerge about the future of the former champion as he looks to
revive his career in the UFC middleweight division.
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