UFC: Israel Adesanya returns against Joe Pifer in March

Former two-time middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will return to action for the first time in over a year when he faces Joe Pifer in Seattle, Washington on March 28.

Nigerian-born New Zealander Adesina has not fought any fights since he lost to Frenchman Nasredine Imavov last February, his third defeat in a row.

The 36-year-old, who has eight wins in UFC middleweight title fights – second only to Anderson Silva’s record of 11 wins – has not won since beating Alex Pereira in 2023.

Adesanya dominated the middleweight category between 2020 and 2022, where he defended his title five times, but the defeat against American Pifer will raise questions about his future in the UFC.

Pifer, 29, is ranked 15th in the UFC middleweight rankings and has won six of his seven fights in the organization.

Adesayna, ranked sixth, has won just one of five fights in nearly four years.

After the defeat to Imavov, Adesanya said he wanted to take some time off before focusing on “helping his teammates” prepare for the upcoming matches.

He also said that chasing titles is no longer his goal, with his priority shifting to wanting to fight more freely and take more risks inside the octagon.

The bout with Paifer will take place at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on a card that will also see former Mexican flyweight champion Alexa Grasso take on American Maisie Barber.