Joe Pyfer left quite the impression on his boss with his latest performance.
Pyfer (16-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC), a rising UFC middleweight contender, stopped former UFC champion Israel Adesanya in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 271 in Seattle. After a competitive round, Pyfer stepped on the gas, taking down and ground-and-pounding Adesanya (24-6 MMA, 13-6 UFC) until he got the stoppage win.
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UFC CEO Dana White liked what he saw from Pyfer.
“We started looking at all the performances tonight, for Pyfer to come in at No. 14, and beat Israel Adesanya, one of the best middleweights ever, and the No. 4-ranked guy,” White said at the UFC Fight Night 271 post-fight press conference. “It’s pretty impressive – and to finish him.”
Pyfer is currently on a four-fight winning streak, with three stoppages. His only UFC loss came in 2024 when he lost a unanimous decision to veteran Jack Hermansson. White expects “Body Bagz” to crack the top five of the UFC middleweight rankings with the win on Saturday.
“It’s huge,” White said. “And more importantly, you know, Joe Pyfer’s story, and now the guy’s ranked in the top five in the UFC, which is very, very tough to do.”
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As far as Adesanya, who’s now on a four-fight losing streak, White was still left impressed with the 36-year-old. Even in defeat, he thought Adesanya still had something left in the tank.
“He looked good. He looked good,” White said. “He looked fast, using angles. Yeah, I thought he looked great.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Dana White: Joe Pyfer’s win over Israel Adesanya ‘pretty impressive’
