March 28, 2026, 11:07 p.m. ET
“Be Joe Pyfer,” says Dana White. Saturday, Joe Pyfer showed why.
At UFC Fight Night 271, in the biggest fight of his life by a mile, Pyfer (16-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) stepped up and finished one of the best middleweights the sport has ever seen. Pyfer’s ground-and-pound ended Israel Adesanya’s night at 4:18 of Round 2 of their main event bout.
Adesanya was patient and implemented a successful game plan in the first round, prior to his competitive demise in Round 2. He utilized leg kicks, stayed at distance, and appeared to visibly wear on Pyfer.
However, Pyfer’s labored shots began to land in Round 2 – and boy, did they land hard. Adesanya decided to engage and clinch, which marked the beginning of the end for him.
Once down, Pyfer sliced through him like butter. He entered mount, took the back, and when Adesanya rolled over, Pyfer pounded him out with ground-and-pound punches.
Pyfer, 29, has won four fights in a row, none bigger than Saturday’s. He entered on a three-fight winning streak with victories over Marc-Andre Barriault, Kelvin Gastelum and Abus Magomedov. On the microphone post-fight, he said he nearly took his own life weeks ago, but religion saved him.
Adesanya, 36, has hit hard times competitively – but said post-fight that he won’t retire. Saturday’s loss was his fourth in a row, third since he lost his title in upset fashion to Sean Strickland.
