March 29, (THEWILL) — Joe Pyfer produced a devastating second-round knockout of former Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya at UFC Seattle on Sunday, registering the biggest victory of his career at the Climate Pledge Arena in only his second UFC main event.
The opening round saw Pyfer press forward in search of a takedown, with Adesanya initially repelling his advances before countering with a succession of leg kicks.
Pyfer eventually wrestled Adesanya to the canvas in the final seconds of the round, landing significant strikes on the 36-year-old in the process.
Adesanya targeted the body early in round two, with the contest briefly halted for 30 seconds after an eye poke from Adesanya.
No point deduction followed, and he responded by landing clean combinations.
Pyfer replied with heavy hooks before dragging the former champion back to the floor, first mounting him and then taking his back.
From that position, a sustained barrage of ground and pound punches forced the referee to wave off the contest.
Pyfer was visibly emotional afterwards, disclosing a mental health crisis that had preceded his victory.
He said, “I almost took my own life a couple of weeks ago, but I found God. God restored me, that’s the only reason I’m here.”
Adesanya, for his part, dismissed retirement talk, declaring: “I’m not f–-ing leaving. You’ll never stop me. I might get beat, but I’ll always remain undefeated.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
