Joe Pyfer: Israel Adesanya still 'one of the best' despite 0-3 run
· Yahoo Sports
Israel Adesanya is certainly not in his best career moment, but that doesn't change the way his opponent Joe Pyfer sees him.
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Pyfer (15-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC), a rising contender at 185 pounds, takes on the former middleweight champion this in the main event of UFC Fight Night 271 (Paramount+), which takes place Saturday at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Since reclaiming the belt against Alex Pereira in 2023, Adesanya (24-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) has gone 0-3. He lost his belt to Sean Strickland in a big upset, then failed to get the title back from Dricus Du Plessis in 2024, and most recently, was stopped by Nassourdine Imavov in 2025.
Despite the defeats, Pyfer refuses to let Adesanya's latest run cloud him on the former champ's abilities.
"I think it's literally just him fighting top-notch talent, right?" Pyfer told MMA Junkie. "Like all three of his losses of late have been by guys that are literally above him. And he's No. 4. He was No. 6. And then, you know, with the way the division shook up, uh, they bumped them up two spots, but whether he's four or whether he's six, the guys he lost to, the three he lost to, are still one, two, and three. So you got Imavov, DDP, and Strickland. I think it literally goes Imavov, DDP, Strickland. You know what I mean?
"I know everybody's trying to be like, 'He's on a three-fight losing streak. He's lost four out of his last five.' He is one of the best in the world, and he's losing to the absolute best in the world. It's not like he lost to some Joe Blow who just got in the UFC, you know what I mean? He's losing to guys that are all at the top of the food chain, so give the guy some grace. I still think he's one of the best in the world. I think he's going to show up amazing, and I'm going to show up amazing, and we're going to have a hell of a fight."
Pyfer feels a lot is being made of Adesanya's defeats, but people forget the type of caliber of opposition Adesanya is facing. Pyfer can see other middleweights falling short of those names as well.
"Yeah, man, they try to find holes where there is none," Pyfer explained. "Like, the guy's fighting the best in the world, and at this level, the smallest margin for error is, like, split seconds, and then you get caught. So, yeah, I don't look into it that much, and, yeah, I'm expecting the best of Izzy."
Just because Pyfer still thinks highly of Adesanya, that doesn't mean he thinks he can't beat him. Pyfer sees himself as a more well-rounded fighter, and he's out to prove that to the world on Saturday.
"If the takedowns are there, I will take him down," Pyfer said. "I know I can submit him. I definitely have the better jiu-jitsu. I don't think he has bad jiu-jitsu. I think he has decent takedown defense, too. So it's just really going to be gauging how hard I have to work for the takedown, how well am I timing it. The interesting part about fighting is, like, I have the tools to beat this man. I think I'm more complete than he is. I think he's obviously, for sure, a better kickboxer than me, but this isn't kickboxing, and I think I'm a pretty good boxer. I'm definitely a good wrestler, and I'm a pretty good jiu-jitsu guy too, so I think there's a lot of skills that match up. This is going to be a fun fight."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Joe Pyfer: Israel Adesanya still 'one of the best' despite 0-3 run