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Brett Okamoto
Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will look to snap a three-fight skid when he faces Joe Pyfer on March 28 in Seattle, UFC CEO Dana White announced Tuesday.
The 185-pound matchup will headline UFC Fight Night at Climate Pledge Arena.
Adesanya (24-5) is widely recognized as one of the greatest middleweights of all time, but he will be seeking his first win since a thrilling knockout of Alex Pereira in a 2023 title fight. He is amid the longest skid of his MMA career, with losses to Sean Strickland, Dricus Du Plessis and Nassourdine Imavov. Adesanya, 36, has not fought since a knockout loss to Imavov in February 2025.
Pyfer (15-3), of Pennsylvania, is on a three-fight win streak after suffering the first loss of his UFC career to Jack Hermansson in 2024. He is coming off a submission win over Abus Magomedov in October.
A women’s flyweight bout between former champion Alexa Grasso (16-5-1) and Maycee Barber (15-2) was also announced for the March 28 event.