Joe Pyfer beat Israel Adesanya by a second-round TKO. Photo / Getty Images
As Israel Adesanya made his return to the UFC octagon for the first time in 13 months, there was plenty of intrigue around how the former two-time middleweight champion would look.
Putting his No 4 ranking in the division on the line against No 14 Joe Pyfer in Seattle on Sunday, it felt like a match-up that should provide some clarity as to where Adesanya stood at this point in his career.
But few could have predicted it to play out quite like it did.
Adesanya fell to a TKO loss late in the second round after Pyfer was able to get him to the canvas and control the fight on the ground.
But that only came after a first round which Adesanya largely dictated and a few minutes in the second round where the Kiwi looked like he would have a chance to get the American out of there.
Speaking to former two-weight UFC champion Daniel Cormier on the UFC Fight Pass coverage after the bout, Adesanya said he wanted to feel like he had been in a fight.
“There was nothing surprising. I expected the best and he brought the best,” Adesanya said.
“I said coming into this fight, it’s been 13 months, I wanted to feel like I’ve been in a fight, and he gave me just that. Like I said to him at the weigh-ins, they gave me a show now it’s my turn to give him a shot. He earnt it and he did so great. So congrats to Joe Pyfer.”
Perhaps, then, that was an indication of where Adesanya is at in his own career; a point where trying to match an opponent in the strongest part of their game provides a bigger challenge than simply winning the fight. Or perhaps the former champion simply felt comfortable stepping into the fire against Pyfer.
When he was fighting his usual, calculated fight, Adesanya looked impressive.
The Kiwi was making his mark with his kicking game, particularly with calf kicks as Pyfer’s lead leg was showing signs of damage early in the second round.
Adesanya was setting shots up well with his hands too, putting combinations together and, for the most part, staying out of range.
Even when he was in range, Adesanya defended well and avoided most of the big shots Pyfer was throwing.
The American tried to get the fight to the ground in the first round but only managed to do so in the final seconds, at which point Adesanya had already done enough to secure the points.
The second round started much the same; Adesanya working Pyfer’s lead leg and trying to land big combinations while avoiding most of what Pyfer was throwing in return.
About two minutes into the second round, Adesanya walked Pyfer down against the change after an exchange where both fighters landed meaningful shots.
That saw the bout turn into a brawl, with the two trading shots. Adesanya wore a right hand from Pyfer, shrugged it off and tried to throw a right hand of his own, but was beaten to the punch by a Pyfer left.
They worked back to the centre of the octagon where Adesanya fired off a combination, but it was a clubbing left hook that caught Adesanya around the side of the head that set the wheels in motion for the finish.
The shot caused Adesanya to stumble, and a follow-up saw the Kiwi get his guard up against the fence.
After trying to fight his way off the cage, Adesanya was taken down by Pyfer, with the American quickly getting into full mount; a dominant position where he was able to control the action.
Ultimately, he was able to flatten Adesanya out and hammer away with punches until the referee had no choice but to step in.
The loss will likely see Adesanya fall outside of the top five in the UFC’s middleweight rankings and, again, leaves his next steps inside the UFC unclear.
He did make one thing very clear, though.
“You keep going. Again, and again, and again. I’m not f***ing leaving,” he said before quoting his late friend Jamie van der Kuijl.
“You’ll never stop me. I might get beaten but I’ll always remain undefeated - Jamie Van Der Kuijl.”
Earlier on the card, Adesanya’s City Kickboxing teammate Navajo Stirling had his best performance inside the UFC octagon to announce himself as a true prospect.
The 28-year-old won by second-round TKO against Bruno Lopes, claiming his fourth-straight UFC win and moving to 9-0 as a professional mixed martial artist.
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.