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Sport Nation
Israel Adesanya announces next UFC opponent
Sport Nation • January 14th, 2026 2:04 pm
Israel Adesanya | Photo: Photosport
New Zealand's most decorated MMA fighter is heading back to the Octagon.
Israel Adesanya has announced he'll return to action to face American Joe Pyfer in the main event of UFC Seattle on March 29 (NZ time).
The former middleweight champion will be out to snap a three-fight losing streak against the No, 15 ranked Pyfer.
After reclaiming the belt in a rematch with Alex Pereira, 'The Last Stylebender' fell to Sean Strickland, Dricus du Plessis, and was most recently beaten via first-round TKO by rising Frenchman Nassourdine Imavov in February 2025.
Meanwhile, Pyfer's stocks have been heading in the opposite direction, entering the contest on the back of consecutive wins over Marc-Andre Barriault, Kelvin Gastelum and Abus Magomedov.
The rest of the card is yet to be finalised aside from the co-main event, which will feature former champion Alexa Grasso and Maycee Barber in a flyweight bout.
