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Former two-time middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will return to action for the first time in over a year when he faces Joe Pyfer in Seattle, Washington on 28 March.<\/b><\/p>\n
Nigerian-born New Zealander Adesayna hasn’t fought since he was knocked out by Frenchman Nassourdine Imavov last February in a third straight defeat.<\/p>\n
The 36-year-old, who has eight wins in UFC middleweight title fights – second only to Anderson Silva’s record of 11 – has not won since beating Alex Pereira in 2023.<\/p>\n
Adesanya dominated the middleweight division between 2020 and 2022 where he defended his title five times, but defeat against American Pyfer will raise questions about his UFC future.<\/p>\n
Pyfer, 29, is ranked 15th in the UFC’s middleweight rankings and has won six of his seven fights in the organisation.<\/p>\n
Adesayna, who is ranked sixth, has won just one of five fights in nearly four years. <\/p>\n
After defeat by Imavov, Adesanya said he wanted to take some time out before focusing on “helping his team-mates” prepare for upcoming bouts. <\/p>\n
He has also said chasing titles is no longer his aim, with his priority shifting to wanting to fight more freely and take more risks inside the octagon.<\/p>\n
The bout with Pyfer takes place at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena on a card which also sees Mexican former flyweight champion Alexa Grasso take on American Maycee Barber.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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