When the UFC makes its return to Seattle in March, fight fans will be treated to a couple of fan-favourite matchups.
UFC president Dana White announced on Tuesday that the main event will be a ranked middleweight bout between former two-time champion Israel Adesanya and rising contender Joe Pyfer.
Adesanya (24-5-0) may be far removed from his days of terrorizing the 185-pound ranks — making six consecutive title defences between 2019 and 2022 — but he’s still considered a force to be reckoned as the No. 6 fighter in the division. And “The Last Style Bender” will presumably be entering the matchup with a chip on his shoulder, as Adesanya is riding a three-fight skid, going back to UFC 293 in 2023, when Sean Strickland dethroned him for the middleweight title.
The 36-year-old last stepped into an octagon in Feb. 2025, when Nassourdine Imavov finished Adesanya via TKO less than a minute into Round 2 of their bout. Now, with more than a year having passed since his last fight, what will Adesanya have left in the tank?
As for Pyfer (15-3-0), he enters the matchup after vaulting to No. 15 in the division thanks to a four-fight win streak. “Bodybagz” has only lost once since making his UFC debut in 2023 (6-1-0), and now prepares to take on the biggest opponent of his career. Pyfer is coming off an impressive second-round submission win over Abus Magomedov at UFC 320 in Oct. 2025.
Meanwhile, also featured on the UFC Seattle card is a women’s flyweight fight between former titleholder Alexa Grasso and rising star Maycee Barber. This 125-pound contest is a rematch of a 2021 bout that saw Grasso win a three-round decision.
Grasso is winless in her past three outings. After submitting Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 285 nearly three years ago to become champ, Grasso fought to a draw with Shevchenko in their 2023 rematch to retain the title, then lost it to Shevchenko in a five-round decision in their trilogy bout in 2024. She is coming off a three-round decision loss to Natalia Silva this past May.
The 32-year-old Mexican fighter was initially supposed to begin her 2026 campaign at the end of January, but a scheduled UFC 324 bout with Rose Namajunas was cancelled after Grasso withdrew due to injury. Grasso is still the No. 3-ranked contender in the women’s flyweight division.
Barber is holding down the No. 5 spot in the rankings after recently extending her winning streak to seven. It had been almost two full years between appearances for Barber who has dealt with a plethora of injuries and health issues in recent years.
The 27-year-old American hasn’t lost since dropping a two-rounds-to-one unanimous decision to Grasso four years ago.
The UFC returned to Seattle in 2025 for the first time in more than a dozen years with UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Song last February. The March 28 card will mark the organization’s fifth total UFC event at Climate Pledge Arena since 2011.
