Israel Adesanya suffered a fourth consecutive defeat as he was stopped by Joe Pyfer in their middleweight main event at UFC Seattle.
The former two-time champion made a bright start inside the Climate Pledge Arena, using his jab and leg kicks to control distance and dictate the opening round.
Adesanya appeared composed early, defending takedown attempts and landing clean strikes, but the momentum shifted in the second round as Pyfer increased his pressure.
A decisive exchange turned the fight when Pyfer connected with a heavy left hook, forcing Adesanya onto the defensive. The American followed up by closing the distance, securing a takedown and advancing into a dominant position on the ground.
From there, Pyfer unleashed a series of punches and elbows, prompting the referee to stop the contest at 4:18 of round two.
The result marks another setback for Adesanya, whose last victory came in April 2023 when he reclaimed the middleweight title against Alex Pereira.
Despite the defeat, the 36-year-old indicated he is not considering retirement.
Pyfer and Grasso both received Performance of the Night bonuses, while the bout between Tofiq Musayev and Ignacio Bahamondes earned Fight of the Night honours.
