At the UFC Fight Night event in Seattle, Joe Pyfer, the rising middleweight contender, came out with his career-best performance by beating former two-time champion Israel Adesanya within two rounds.
The first seven minutes of the fight were closely contested as both performers traded blows. However, Pyfer rocked Adesanya midway through the second round. The former champ was hurt, and Joe took advantage of that. He tackled Adesanya to the ground and took mount.
Joe was looking for a submission, but Adesanya was resilient and didn’t give one. When Pyfer thought that a submission was not possible, he started to rain heavy blows on a pinned face-down Adesanya.
In the second round at 4:18, the referee halted the action. And after that, Pyfer won that contest, and he extended his winning streak to four.
Did you know that Adesanya is the only two-time middleweight champion in UFC history? I am sure that he will surely be a Hall of Famer in the future. However, he has not won a fight since he knocked out Alex Pereira in their rematch three years ago.
The 36-year-old Nigerian-New Zealand star has since lost many fights. He has lost to Sean Stickland, Dricus Du Plessis, Nassourdine Imavov, and now Pyfer.
Now, Pyfer will expect a giant leap in the rankings next week. With this fight, he is now closer to title contention.
Pyfer was at number 14 in the 185-pound division. On the other hand, Adesanya was at number 4 in the rankings.
This result for Pyfer at Climate Pledge Arena has improved his UFC record. He is now 7-1 since his debut in 2022.
You must know that all but one of his wins have come by KO/TKO or submission.