Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya brushed off retirement talk after he suffered his fourth consecutive loss.
Adesanya was finished in the second round by Joe Pyfer in Seattle on Saturday night, following previous defeats to Sean Strickland, Dricus du Plessis and Nassourdine Imavov.
The 36-year-old’s most recent victory came back in 2023 against Alex Pereira, when he avenged a loss from five months earlier, but he insists he is not done yet.
Speaking in his post-fight interview, Adesanya said: “You keep going. Again and again and again and again and again. I’m not f****** leaving.
“You’ll never stop me. I might get beat, but I’ll always remain undefeated.”
Pyfer: Adesanya the best middleweight of all time
Adesanya – who has now been stopped inside the distance three times in a row – started off well in defence and landed some leg kicks.
But he was soon rocked by a left hook, a body shot and a right hand, with the referee then stepping in when he was thrown to the mat by Pyfer and struck from the back.
Adesanya (right) and Pyfer fight on the ground
Pyfer said: “Izzy is not the most powerful guy in the world, we know that, but he’s one of the highest fight IQ champions of all time.
“There’s nobody better. In my book, he’s the best middleweight of all time. I love you as a champion, love you as a person.”
Adesanya added: “I expected the best Joe Pyfer. I knew this was his biggest fight ever. I expected his best and he brought the best.
“I said coming into this fight, it’s been 13 months [since I last competed]. I wanted to feel like I’d been in a fight.
“He gave me just that.”
