For as high as Israel Adesanya was in 2023 when he regained his UFC middleweight title via dramatic second-round knockout in his immediate rematch with rival Alex Pereira, the past three years have been anything but kind to “The Last Stylebender.”
Adesanya (24-5), a 36-year-old native of Nigeria who fights out of New Zealand, is shockingly riding a three-fight losing skid in which he, while alternating flashes of the brilliance that once made him among the most dynamic strikers in MMA history, has looked flat and occasionally uninterested in ways that have questioned whether his drive and durability are still intact.
In the main event of UFC Fight Night in Seattle on Saturday, the fourth-ranked Adesanya will enter Climate Pledge Arena opposite No. 14 Joe Pyfer (15-3), the hard-charging Philadelphia slugger who has won eight of nine UFC bouts, in a crossroads matchup that will either return Adesanya to his elite form or potentially (especially should he get finished for the fourth time since 2022) bring about the end of his legendary career.
Adesanya, who has lost four of his last five overall, shed his typical charismatic and colorful persona when speaking to CBS Sports HQ on Tuesday for a much calmer tone where any talk of a potential third run to the 185-pound title was shelved in favor of a more zen-like focus on the here and now.
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“I won’t really say hungry is the word but I’m very determined,” Adesanya said. “I’m not determined about the losing skid, I really just want to perform because when I perform, wins and the gold come. The age doesn’t really play a factor in my mind or the streak doesn’t play a factor. It’s not even a mental thing, it’s just going in there and performing.
“My previous fights, I felt great and I was looking good. I just can’t lose focus even for a second. That’s one thing I have worked on for this fight, it’s just making sure that I stay focused for 30 minutes.”
Five months after avenging his loss to Pereira in such an emotional way, Adesanya’s losing streak began at UFC 293 when he dropped his title in a lifeless decision loss to Sean Strickland. After sitting out for 11 months, Adesanya returned in 2024 and fought on even terms for most of his UFC 305 bout against new champion Dricus du Plessis before being physically overwhelmed in Round 4 and tapping out due to a face crank.
Six months later in Saudi Arabia, Adesanya had similar early success against top contender Nassourdine Imavov before he was knocked out by a vicious right hand early in Round 2 that came immediately after Adesanya was accidentally poked in the eye but chose to allow the fight to immediately restart.
“It didn’t look like [I got poked], I was poked in the eye but my mistake was trying to get the action back straight away,” Adesanya said. “So, next time, in the future — and hopefully there isn’t a next time — I will take my time.”
Thirteen months removed from the Octagon, Adesanya enters as a slight betting favorite despite a clear edge in experience and technique against the 29-year-old Pyfer, who has finished seven of the eight UFC opponents he has defeated.
Yet, it was the fact that Adesanya looked so good in the opening round against Imavov in February 2025 that his coach, Eugene Bareman of City Kickboxing in Auckland, gave his support in Adesanya accepting the Pyfer fight.
“The Imavov fight was a complete turnaround and probably one of the best training camps he has ever had,” Bareman told “She Loves The Gloves” this week. “I thought Israel found some of his old form back when he was on the rise and defending his title a lot. But in that fight he made a mistake and he got caught. That happens but as a result of that fight, I’m really confident that he does have a bit of mileage left at the top level. After fighting DDP, I was not convinced that we should still be fighting but Imavov turned me around.”
Although Bareman refused to detail the “in-house” issues Adesanya endured entering the du Plessis fight, calling it “disrespectful” to talk about publicly, he marveled at the demeanor and mindset that his fighter brought in to the Pyfer camp.
“[It’s] just peacefulness,” Bareman said. “I feel like Israel was [previously] always trying to prove something and if there was nothing to prove, he would just find something. And if there was nothing going on, he would pick something and pick a fight. The other person would say something and then he would have the motivation. But there’s just not that anymore, there’s more of a peacefulness.
“Now, he just wants to fight because he wants to test his skills and because he loves the sport. He just wants to get out there and perform and do martial arts, that’s a very different mindset that you have compared to when you are on the way up.”
Adesanya said he didn’t make major changes for this training camp and instead worked on changing the things he can control like sleep, stress levels and all of the “little things that all add up.” He has also been working with a dedicated strength and conditioning coach, Bill Smart, for more than a year and is excited to show off the improvements to his athleticism.
While Pyfer hasn’t shied away from sharing his gameplan during interviews this week, which is to brazenly come forward and force Adesanya into a fight, Adesanya said he’s more-than ready for whatever “Bodybagz” brings to the table.
“I think he’s going to come ready because this is the biggest fight of his career yet,” Adesanya said. “But I’ve been here before, I’ve been here many times. I know exactly what to do with myself to get the victory. I believe he will have to shoot quite early just because they always do, they always do. I make them because my stand-up is just a different game, a different level. If he wants to stand with me, I welcome the challenge. And if he wants to shoot and grapple, I welcome that, too. I just want to perform.”
In case anyone is worried about Adesanya from the standpoint of him having potentially lost his aura or invincibility, he was quick to scoff at such an idea, referencing the multiple kickboxing losses (including twice to Pereira) that he endured and bounced back from before transitioning to MMA.
“When I walk down the street, they still call me champ. They still show me love,” Adesanya said. “I’m still me. I’m still Israel Adesanya, so that doesn’t affect me the way it would other people.
“Expect a show. This is not going to be one where I fight conservatively, so expect a show.”
