Adesanya, who served as the headliner in 13 of his last 14 appearances, arrives in Emerald City seeking his first win since his epic knockout of Alex Pereira at UFC 287. “The Last Stylebender” has been one of the defining fighters not only in his division, but the sport as a whole for the last six years, and at 36 years old, he is keen to maintain his standing in the division’s title picture.
Watch Every UFC Event For One Low Price On Paramount+
On the other side, Pyfer hopes this fight is what allows him to break into the division’s elite. After earning his contract in his second appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series, Pyfer bulldozed his way through six of his seven opponents to date, scoring finishes in all but one of those wins. His lone loss came in his first main event assignment against Jack Hermansson, but Pyfer responded with a knockout win over Marc-André Barriault, a decision victory over Kelvin Gastelum, and a submission win over Abus Magomedov. He hopes March 28 represents a changing of the guard in the middleweight division.
Since Adesanya arrived on the roster in February 2018, Adesanya has stood as one of the most sophisticated and crafty strikers in the division. His 13 knockdowns are tied with Anderson Silva for the most in the division’s history. Although Pyfer hasn’t racked up quite as many as Adesanya, his 1.2 knockdowns per 15 minutes are good for fourth among middleweights, but he also boasts four wins via tapout.
2026 DIVISION PREVIEWS: Flyweight | Featherweight | Lightweight | Welterweight | Middleweight | Light Heavyweight | Heavyweight | Women’s Strawweight | Women’s Flyweight | Women’s Bantamweight
White also announced a flyweight rematch between former champion Alexa Grasso and Dana White’s Contender Series alumna Maycee Barber. Grasso took their first matchup via decision back in February 2021 but is looking for her first victory since defeating Valentina Shevchenko for the title in March 2023. Barber, on the other hand, hopes to exact revenge. Since that loss to Grasso, Barber reeled off seven consecutive wins, including her most recent victory over Karine Silva at UFC 323.
UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs Pyfer takes place on March 28 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington. Stay tuned to UFC.com for any updates regarding events and fights.
