Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has no intention of hanging up his gloves after suffering a fourth consecutive loss at UFC Seattle last weekend.
Adesanya returned from more than a year away to headline the event against 14th-ranked middleweight contender Joe Pyfer.
Although he outlanded Pyfer in total strikes, a takedown late in the second round left him in a vulnerable position where he absorbed unanswered shots until the referee stepped in to stop the fight.
The result leaves Adesanya on a four-fight skid that began with his upset loss to Sean Strickland in a middleweight title bout at UFC 293, marking the third straight time he has been finished during that run.
Taking to social media, Adesanya indirectly addressed speculation that he might consider retiring and assured fans that his fighting career is far from over. “I know it’s hard on my people seeing me fall. I promise you it’s harder on me. Regardless, we respawn and go again.”
Following a lengthy kickboxing career and an initial 9-0 run in MMA, Adesanya fully committed to the sport in 2017 and joined the UFC the following year with an 11-0 record.
Five wins set him up for an interim middleweight title bout with Kelvin Gastelum that is now enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame, and he became undisputed middleweight champion when he knocked out Robert Whittaker in the second round at UFC 243.
Adesanya’s initial championship reign included five successful title defenses and a failed bid for double-champ glory when he moved up to challenge Jan Blachowicz for the light heavyweight strap in 2021. He was knocked out by his former kickboxing rival Alex Pereira but reclaimed the middleweight belt in an immediate rematch.
The 36-year-old was a massive favorite to defeat Strickland in the first title defense of his second reign but dropped a unanimous decision. He returned the following year and was submitted by future middleweight titleholder Dricus Du Plessis, and was also knocked out by current second-ranked middleweight contender Nassourdine Imavov in his only outing of 2025 before returning to meet Pyfer in Seattle.
