Former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya suffered his fourth consecutive defeat after losing to American contender Joe Pyfer via technical knockout at UFC Fight Night on Saturday night.

Pyfer (16-3) secured a career-defining victory, stopping Adesanya (24-6) at 4:18 of the second round at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, USA.

Adesanya began the bout strongly, using sharp movement and striking to control the opening round.

However, Pyfer absorbed the early pressure and shifted momentum with a series of powerful punches and a takedown.

In the second round, Pyfer pinned the Nigerian-New Zealand national against the fence before taking him to the canvas, advancing to full mount and unleashing sustained ground-and-pound, prompting referee Herb Dean to stop the fight.

Speaking after the win, Pyfer said, “I just have this mentality where I don’t care; I’m going to search and destroy.”
Adesanya, however, remained resolute despite the loss. “I’m just going to keep going and going and going,” he said.

The defeat marks Adesanya’s fourth straight loss, raising questions about the 36-year-old’s future in the middleweight division.

He had previously lost to Sean Strickland, Dricus du Plessis, and Nassourdine Imavov, who stopped him in February 2025 in Saudi Arabia.

For Pyfer, the victory over a former champion his four-fight winning streak strengthens his position as a rising contender and could move him closer to title contention.