Israel Adesanya made his highly anticipated return to the Octagon at UFC Seattle, facing Joe Pyfer in a high-stakes bout. The event, held at Climate Pledge Arena, was crucial for “The Last Stylebender” as he sought to break a three-fight losing streak and re-establish himself as a serious contender in the middleweight division. His opponent, Joe Pyfer, a Dana White’s Contender Series alumnus, fully lived up to his “Bodybagz” moniker, boasting nine knockouts out of fifteen total victories.
In the co-main event of the evening, two top-five contenders in the women’s flyweight division clashed: former champion Alexa Grasso met rising star Maycee Barber.
The main card was rounded out by the farewell fight of TUF fan favorite Michael Chiesa. “Maverick” stepped into the Octagon for his 22nd and final UFC bout against the always dangerous Niko Price, thus closing a significant chapter of his career with the promotion.
UFC Seattle Main Card:
- Middleweight Bout: Israel Adesanya vs. Joe Pyfer
- Flyweight Bout: Alexa Grasso vs. Maycee Barber
- Welterweight Bout: Michael Chiesa vs. Niko Price
- Featherweight Bout: Julian Erosa vs. Lerryan Douglas
- Middleweight Bout: Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Yousri Belgaroui
- Lightweight Bout: Terrance McKinney vs. Kyle Nelson
UFC Seattle Prelims:
- Lightweight Bout: Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Tofiq Musayev
- Lightweight Bout: Chase Hooper vs. Lance Gibson Jr.
- Heavyweight Bout: Marcin Tybura vs. Tyrell Fortune
- Flyweight Bout: Casey O’Neill defeated Gabriella Fernandes via TKO (strikes) at 3:11 of Round 1.
- Light Heavyweight Bout: Navajo Stirling defeated Bruno Lopes via TKO (ground and pound) at 4:05 of Round 2.
- Bantamweight Bout: Ricky Simon vs. Adrian Yanez was ruled a majority draw (29-28, 28-28, 28-28).
- Flyweight Bout: Alexa Thainara defeated Bruna Brasil via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).