Israel Adesanya lost again on Saturday night, stopped by Joe Pyfer in the second round at UFC Fight Night in Seattle, according to ESPN.
Pyfer finished the fight at 4:18 of the second round.
He took Adesanya down and kept landing strikes until the referee stepped in. It was a big win for Pyfer, the most important of his career so far.
For Adesanya, it was his fourth straight loss.
Before Pyfer, he had lost to Sean Strickland, Dricus du Plessis, and Nassourdine Imavov.
That run has raised questions about what’s next for the former champion.
Adesanya started the fight well.
He moved well, kept his distance, and landed clean shots in the first round. In the second, Pyfer’s pressure changed the fight.
Once it went to the ground, Pyfer controlled him and kept up the strikes until the stoppage.
After the fight, Adesanya told the media he isn’t planning to retire and intends to keep fighting.
Some social media posts claimed he had lost to Pyfer multiple times.
That is wrong. This was their first fight.
The result leaves Adesanya with four losses in a row, a rare stretch for someone who once dominated the middleweight division.
For Pyfer, the win should raise his profile and set him up for bigger fights in the division.