All six main card fights in Seattle, WA produced exciting finishes. The feature preliminary bout between Tofiq Musayev and Ignacio Bahamondes set the tone with a Fight of the Night winning blood bath. And one of the all-time GOATs of MMA, Demetrious Johnson, was announced as a 2026 UFC Hall of Fame inductee.  All-in-all, it may have been an exciting fight card, but many fighters are in dire positions in this week’s edition of What’s Next.

Israel Adesanya

(#14) Joe Pyfer seized his opportunity to catapult up in the rankings with his second round TKO thrashing of (#4) Israel Adesanya in the main event on Saturday. The finish earned Pyfer a fat performance bonus too. Adesanya has now lost four fights in a row, he’s been stopped in three of those bouts, and is winless since beating Alex Pereira in early 2023. 1-5 since early 2022 is a rough stat, whether Izzy was the champ during some of those bouts or not.

Izzy has a lot of options for his next fight. The 36-year-old needs a win against respectable competition, though there’s a possibility, although slim, that his next opponent may not be ranked.

Moving forward, Israel should be paired up with the loser of the Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Brendan Allen fight on June 6. The timing is a little funky but either fight could make sense. Allen has won two in a row, and is currently coming off a win against Reinier de Ridder into the -+bout. He would have lost to an unranked fighter in Edmen, so could potentially be in a similar, position to Izzy. Shahbazyan is currently riding a 3-fight win streak with two, first-round finishes. So, he would have faltered off of a large test, and against a grappler.

Could be a bit of a stretch, so backup pick here is MVP. Page is 4-1 in the UFC and on a three-fight win streak. Page was last in action at UFC London last week, defeating Sam Patterson, but if he decides to move up to 185lbs., like he has twice before, MVP vs ‘The Stylebender’ could be a fun one.

Adesanya’s next fight:  Edmen Shahbazyan vs. (#6) Brendan Allen Loser or (#13 WW) Michael Page 

Maycee Barber

(#4) Alexa Grasso unleashed a nasty bombardment on (#5) Maycee Barber midway through the first-round rendering Barber out on her feet before sliding in a sub for good measure. Devastating loss for Barber as she loses step up fight/title eliminator, got her seven-fight, five-year-long win-streak snapped. Maycee also falls to 0-2 vs. Grasso.

Barber’s next fight should be against Tracy Cortez. A fresh name, a relevant ranking and the last fighter to take on Erin Blanchfield.  Barber has been unsuccessfully matched up against Erin twice before, with both bouts being cancelled before the fighters could make it into the octagon. Timing is a little off for this matchup however, as Tracy fought back in November of last year. But she’s 2-2 in her last four. A good backup would be Rose Namajunas, who is a little bit of a stretch and coming off a loss to (#1) ranked Natalia Silva in late January. Main card matchups here, PPV or fight night.

Barber’s next fight: (#8) Tracy Cortez or (#6) Rose Namajunas

Niko Price

Michael Chiesa made quick work of fill-in Niko Price, securing a rear naked choke in the first round of a picture-perfect retirement fight on UFC Seattle’s main card, Saturday.  Price is now on a four-fight losing streak and has gone 2-7 in his last nine fights with the promotion. Niko has looked rough, in his last stretch of fights, but at least for UFC Seattle he truly was a last second replacement.

Price announced shortly before the fight that it would also be his last, retiring alongside Chiesa.

Should Price change his mind (he didn’t even get mic time post-fight), Chiesa’s original opponent, Carlston Harris, had to withdraw due to visa issues. But he’s on a two-fight skid, against Santiago Ponzinibbio and Khaos Williams, and both fighters stopped Harris. Carlston is also 4-3 and has been with the UFC since signing in 2021. Niko and Carlston are at a similar level, and this could be a decent scrappy fight that could land nearly anywhere on a fight night card.

Price’s next fight: Retirement, Carlston Harris

Julian Erosa

Lerryan Douglas dropped hometown favorite, Julian Erosa, multiple times on the way to landing a first round finish at UFC Seattle Saturday. Erosa has now lost two in a row although the first loss was a fight of the night unanimous decision loss to now-ranked, Melquizael Costa. Julian had won three in a row before this current skid.

In Julian’s next fight he’s got to continue to lean into those chaotic fights he’s so good at. Giving him the loser of Cub Swanson vs. Nate Landwehr is a very fun matchup either way that goes. Those two fight on April 11th, so timing would be great. Swanson, a 25-fight UFC vet hasn’t fought since stopping Billy Quarantillo in the third round in a crazy standup war back in late 2024. Cub’s 2-2 in his last four, brings a unique standup style and experience. His opponent Nate Landwehr is a fellow leather-slinger, but not as tenured with the UFC, at just 35-5 with the promotion. Nate is coming off a two-fight losing streak and was finished in the third round of both fights (against Doo Ho Choi and Morgan Charriere).

So, Nate would be 1-4 in his last five or Cub would be 2-3 in his last five. Good matchups that could easily be on the main cards of fight nights or a feature prelim (high action stand up fight).

Erosa’s next fight: Cub Swanson vs. Nate Landwehr Loser

Mansur Abdul-Malik

Yousri Belgaroui crumpled Mansur Abdul-Malik with a well-placed knee to get the TKO in the third round of their hard-hitting middleweight affair Saturday. The loss is the first of Mansur’s 11-fight pro MMA career. The 28-year-old 2024 Contender Sedries product is now 3-1-1 since being signed.

Abdul-Malik is still young in his career here, no need to panic. Give him the loser of Azmat Bekoev vs Tresean Gore. Timing for that fight would be perfect as its on April 4th. Tresean is 5-5 as a pro MMA fighter and 2-4 under the UFC banner. The unofficial The Ultimate Fighter Season 29 runner up, has had a rough go at it with the promotion, currently riding a two-fight skid and missed weight ahead of his last bout against Rodolfo Vieiera. Azamat is 20-4 as a pro, so more experience, but is just 2-1 in the UFC. And Bekoev lost to Yousri Belgaroui via third round stoppage in his last fight too. Honestly, either of these guys would make sense for Mansur and offer a good scrap.

Abdul-Malik’s next fight: Azmat Bekoev vs. Tresean Gore Loser

 Kyle Nelson

Terrance McKinney fought like the stove was on back home, as he always does, to open the main card of UFC Seattle on Saturday. This time delivering a wild high kick finish in under 30 seconds against the Canadian, Kyle Nelson. Kyle has now fully cooled off from his 2023-2024 hot streak where he went 3-0-1. Nelson has gone 1-2 in his last three and was finished in the first round of both losses. To make matters worse, Nelson missed weight in that first loss of the trio of fights, to Steve Garcia and missed weight ahead of the bout. So, he’s been at lightweight the last two bouts.

Looking back to a previous edition of losers here, make Kyle Nelson vs. Michael Johnson. This would be a great fight. And a good test for both fighters at the current positions in their respective careers. Johnson is 32-fight veteran of the UFC but hasn’t fought Nelson. Two standup guys, and Nelson is coming up from featherweight so maybe he’d be able to hang with Johnson’s hand speed. Could see this landing anywhere on a fight night main card or feature prelim.

Nelson’s next fight: Michael Johnson

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Adesanya had struggled of late against the division’s upper echelon, riding a three-fight losing streak since defeating Alex Pereira back in April 2023. On the other side stood Pyfer, a fan-friendly finisher who entered the bout on a three-fight win streak, most recently submitting Abus Magomedov at UFC 320.

Pyfer looked to get physical early in round one, shooting a double-leg takedown, but Adesanya’s wide stance allowed him to slip out of danger. Adesanya then began to settle in as he took the center of the octagon, landing a low kick followed by a straight shot, then capping off the sequence with a flush knee to the head of Pyfer.

Pyfer responded to Adesanya’s power with another level change, but again came up empty, forcing the Philly native into a striking battle with “Stylebender.” Pyfer found some success in the pocket, partially landing a few hooks, though Adesanya consistently returned fire whenever Pyfer closed the distance. As Adesanya continued to work behind a steady volume of low kicks, Pyfer shot one final takedown and this time found success as the final seconds of round one ticked away.

The middleweights continued to strike in round two, engaging in messy exchanges in the pocket with both men landing flush shots. Pyfer began turning up the power, firing off several fight-ending punches. Adesanya tried to hang tough, but a huge shot from Pyfer forced the No. 4 middleweight to cover up. Sensing the moment, the Philly native unleashed a series of combinations before landing a sharp takedown as Adesanya attempted to recover.

The tide had clearly shifted. Pyfer took over on the ground, transitioning smoothly into full mount on top of Adesanya. With no clear escape, Adesanya absorbed a number of strikes before giving up his back in a desperate attempt to get out from under Pyfer’s pressure. The opening was there, and Joe “BodyBagz” Pyfer capitalized, flattening out Adesanya and brutalizing the former champion until referee Herb Dean stepped in to stop the fight.

Joe Pyfer extends his winning streak to four, putting his name firmly into consideration for a title eliminator in his next bout. The 16-3 Philadelphia native now sits in prime position, likely to find himself ranked inside the top ten, if not the top five, by next week. Adesanya, meanwhile, promised he wasn’t going anywhere just yet following the loss.

Official Result: Joe Pyfer def. Israel Adesanya by TKO, Round 2, 4:18

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The former two-time middleweight champion and future Hall of Famer is unquestionably a star. Yet after three straight losses to Sean Strickland, Dricus Du Plessis and Nassourdine Imavov, then a year off, “The Last Stylebender” now had to prove his viability against the durable, hard-hitting Joe Pyfer.

One of the bigger stars to come out of Dana White’s Contender Series in recent years, Pyfer had stumbled in his first step up in competition, against Jack Hermansson. He’d since notched three straight victories, including one over old Adesanya foe Kelvin Gastelum, to land himself in a big main event with a former champ.

Adesanya at 36 might be closer to the end of his career than the beginning, but a win on Saturday at UFC Seattle could shoot him back to the top, especially with Khamzat Chiamev lined up to fight Sean Strickland shortly. Given Adesanya’s history with Strickland, a rematch would no doubt sell; Chimaev might be a stylistic nightmare, but Adesanya has never been one to shy away from a fight.

Joe Pyfer, ranked #14, is much further away from a title shot, no matter what the UFC Seattle broadcast would have you believe. Still, a win would jump him up in to the top 10, given Adesanya himself was ranked #4.

Following UFC Seattle, tune into the night’s post-fight press conference (above) to stay on top of all the latest news.

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It’s a critical moment that comes in the twilight of Adesanya’s career. After a trio of losses to Sean Strickland, Dricus Du Plessis, and Nassourdine Imavov, Adesanya finds himself at a crossroads, never further from the title picture than he is now. For “Bodybagz” Pyfer, meanwhile, the two-time former champion is unquestionably the biggest match-up of his career.

Just a few years ago, Pyfer beating “The Last Stylebender” might have seemed unthinkable. Now, Adesanya will be heavily under the microscope, especially after the time off. A win might lead to a bigger-name match-up and propel him to one last run, a loss would leave a heavy cloud over one of the sport’s biggest stars.

Weigh-ins for UFC Seattle take place Friday in Seattle, results can be found below.

UFC Seattle: Adesanya vs. Pyfer Weigh-In Results

Main card

Middleweight: Israel Adesanya (186) vs. Joe Pyfer (186)
Women’s Flyweight: Alexa Grasso (126) vs. Maycee Barber (125)
Welterweight: Michael Chiesa (170) vs. Niko Price (170)
Featherweight: Julian Erosa (145) vs. Lerryan Douglas (146)
Middleweight: Mansur Abdul-Malik (185) vs. Yousri Belgaroui (186)
Lightweight: Terrance McKinney (156) vs. Kyle Nelson (156)

Preliminary card

Lightweight: Ignacio Bahamondes (155) vs. Tofiq Musayev (155)
Lightweight: Chase Hooper (155) vs. Lance Gibson Jr. (156)
Heavyweight: Marcin Tybura (248) vs. Tyrell Fortune (259)
Women’s Flyweight: Casey O’Neill (124) vs. Gabriella Fernandes (125)
Light Heavyweight: Navajo Stirling (204) vs. Bruno Lopes (204)
Bantamweight: Ricky Simón (135) vs. Adrian Yañez (135)
Women’s Strawweight: Alexia Thainara (115) vs. Bruna Brasil (115)

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“He’s the greatest middleweight of all time in my opinion,” Pyfer told reporters on Wednesday.

“It’s a great opportunity, it’s a great privilege to be able to do what I do, and be able to say that I fought one of the best in the world. I really look at this as a win-win. I’m honored that I got this opportunity. Could have been anybody else, but it’s me.”

Pyfer (15-3) had no issue putting Adesanya above greats such as Anderson Silva. Pyfer explained why he believes the former champion stands above even the legends who came before him.

“If you look at Anderson Silva, who was also one of the best, I think the modern era of the MMA fighter is now. From year to date I think Israel has beat the more complete MMA fighters. Just the way that he did it I think it was so dominant,” he said.

“Anderson Silva was, no disrespect to guys like Stephan Bonnar or Forest Griffin or Rich Franklin, but they weren’t at the level that I think MMA fighters are today. That’s why I tip the cap to Israel as the greatest middleweight of all time.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Joe Pyfer above. He faces Israel Adesanya in the main event of UFC Seattle on Saturday night.

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Adesanya (24-5) competed in a losing effort against Jan Blachowicz in 2021 in an attempt to claim a second belt at 205lbs. Since then, he’s focused on middleweight, where he twice reigned as UFC champion.

Noting that Whittaker, Costa, and perhaps even current 185lb champ Khamzat Chimaev were looking to make moves up in weight, Adesanya noted that “I like 185. This is where I’m at, this is where I’m ranked, so I’m going to stay.”

“The Last Stylebender” declined to speculate on what sort of success former foe Costa might have at light heavyweight, but noted that Whittaker had been “looking good in the gym,” going on to add “he’s still got it. I’ll tell you this much.”

Costa for one fights at light heavyweight next month. Adesanya returns to action this Saturday after over a year away, looking to snap a three-fight skid against Joe Pyfer.

“It’s good to clock back into work and do what I do best,” stated Adesanya while addressing the media. Asked whether he had missed the sport, or if MMA might have missed him, the former champ explained that “I have missed fighting, but I think the sport’s missed me. From what I’m hearing in my DMs, from fans, again, I was one of the last real ones who was active. Not trying to hold the belt for no reason, fighting everybody. So yeah, I’m happy to be back.”

When he imagines expressing himself in the cage on Fight Night, Adesanya set the scene by saying “I go in there, touch gloves, face off, get into my stance and I just go at him. Attack him straight away. When he tries to hit me, I’m not there.”

Adesanya expects to stuff a takedown, but bit his lip rather than reveal anything further about what he expects from Pyfer, or the dangers Joe poses. He summed it up by saying “I want to be clean. I want to go in there and let him hit fresh air.”

Watch the full UFC Seattle media day appearance by Israel Adesanya above.

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On Tuesday, UFC CEO and President Dana White took to social media to reveal that former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya (24-5) would face DWCS vet Joe Pyfer (15-3) at the event, in the five-round headliner.

The move likely puts to bed any talk of “The Last Stylebender” retiring, despite having lost three straight bouts. With UFC 325 in Australia so close to home just a month prior, the match-up seems more like a chance for one of the promotion’s biggest stars to right the ship, or conversely, for Pyfer to take the next step onto the big stage.

Adesanya, who had two reigns as middleweight champ in the UFC and also contested for light heavyweight gold, lost his title to Sean Strickland, then suffered defeat at the hands of Dricus Du Plessis in an attempt to reclaim it. Most recently, he was stopped by French contender Nassourdine Imavov last February.

As for Pyfer, he’s won his last three bouts. That includes a decision over an old Adesanya rival, Kelvin Gastelum, and a face crank submission of Abus Magomedov.

Earning a contract on the 2022 season of the Contender Series, Pyfer has proven to be one of the biggest stars from the later seasons of the show. Which might be why, given he’s ranked at just #15 in the division, he’s getting a crack at the #6-ranked former champion.

UFC Seattle is set to take place at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington on March 28, 2026. The card as reported to date features the following pairings:

• Israel Adesanya vs. Joe Pyfer
• Alexa Grasso vs. Maycee Barber
• Valter Walker vs. Marcin Tybura
• Casey O’Neill vs. Gabriella Fernandes
• Nicolle Caliari vs. Caroline Foro
• Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Yousri Belgaroui
• Zhu Kangjie vs. Márcio Barbosa

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First came the hottest topic of the night, the induction of Israel Adesanya vs. Kelvin Gastelum to the Fight Wing of the HOF. Anik jumped right in with a massive conclusion when asked about the fight,

“Maybe the best fight that I have ever been assigned. I just remember thinking, in maybe my third year of calling PPVs, can a 25-minute fight actually get more epic than this? I remember when my boss asked me earlier this year about some HOF fights, and there was a long list. This one jumped off the page, really excited to see these two athletes get this honor.”

Following this praise, Jon Anik also commended the introduction of the Fight Wing for the chances it presents non-champion fighters.

“It gives the UFC an opportunity to acknowledge athletes like Kelvin Gastelum, who may not get in on the merits of his individual body of work.”

Robbie Lawler’s long-anticipated HOF induction was also a hot topic of the night. This was a source of pleasure for Anik, who recalled his expectations for this moment years ago.

“I also knew when he went into the HOF for the Rory McDonald fight that he was gonna have to go back to the podium a couple years later for this honor. When I think about all the people that I have worked for in MMA, all the fans that I’ve talked to, and all the fighters that I’ve interviewed, I think Robbie Lawler may be the most beloved guy of them all. He’s an absolute legend, and he’ll take your soul if he needs to.”

Jon Anik Reveals the Method Behind the Madness

Anik also provided an interesting insight into his commentator role and how much work we actually miss behind the scenes.

“Sometimes the fighter walkouts are commercialized depending on where in the world you’re watching. I might tell a background story that never makes it to the air, sometimes I might trot it out again. It’s a fine line; our sport moves so quickly. I might have to bail on a background biographical story mid-round because the action necessitates it. I probably use 15% of what I prepare, I just try to optimize my moments as best as I can.”

Watch our full interview with UFC lead play-by-play commentator Jon Anik above.

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The middleweight pair were inducted into the Hall as part of the Class of 2025, going into the Fight Wing for their 2019 classic, which saw Adesanya capture a decision win to claim the UFC‘s interim middleweight title.

Adesanya, of course, would go on to unify the belt, defeating Robert Whittaker, and has had two reigns as middleweight champion. Speaking to Cageside Press during the UFC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, both men reflected on the fight itself.

For Adesanya, it wasn’t as life changing as you might think, but after watching the bout back, it was clearly a historic moment. “After being in the cage, I was just hungry. I wanted to eat, and wanted to sleep,” Adesanya recalled, downplaying the typical “life changing” clichés you hear after big fights. “But yeah, for me, after the fight, when you go back and look on it and realize what an amazing moment that was, and it was history in the making. And here we are now, about to cement ourselves in history with that fight.”

Of course, while fighting is an individual sport, teams are a crucial component, and Adesanya has had names like Alexander Volkanovski, Kai Kara-France, Carlos Ulberg and others along for the ride. “It takes a village, and all of us together, what is it? A rising tide lifts all ships. When we all rise, we shine.”

As for Kelvin Gastelum, he learned more about his opponent than about himself in the fight.

“Obviously I think we get better after a fight like that, but I think I learned more about him than I learned about me in that fight, for sure,” Gastelum told us. “We learned a lot about him and how he came out in that fifth round and really leveled up. We got to see just how deep he could go, so I got to know him a little bit better.”

Despite winning The Ultimate Fighter and going toe-to-toe with one of the greatest middleweights ever, Gastelum doesn’t feel the fans have changed their perspective about his prospects.

“I’ve still been the underdog in a few of my fights, and I think that’s just going to be the story of my career. You know what, I like being in that position. I like when my back’s up against the wall, when people are writing me off. I think that’s when I perform better.”

Watch our full interviews with Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum from the 2025 UFC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony above.

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During Saturday’s UFC 312 broadcast, promotion officials announced that Adesanya vs. Gastelum, which took place at UFC 236 in Atlanta, Georgia on April 13, 2019, was headed to the Hall’s Fight Wing as part of the Class of 2025.

Adesanya was on hand at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia when the honor was announced.

The 2019 middleweight fight went the full five rounds, and resulted in Adesanya winning gold for the first time in his UFC career – in the form of an interim title. He’d go on to unify the promotion’s 185lb title when he faced Robert Whittaker that October, and from there become one of mixed martial arts’ biggest stars.

Gastelum, the other half of the Hall of Fame-worthy fight, won The Ultimate Fighter 17 as a middleweight in 2013. His UFC career has been a bit of a roller coaster, with well documented weight struggles forcing him back to 185lbs after a stint at welterweight. Despite that, as recently as June, Gastelum was seen earning a win over Daniel “D-Rod” Rodriguez.

Both men remain active in the UFC ranks, with Israel Adesanya falling to Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia earlier this month.

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