Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is just one day away from the upcoming UFC Seattle mixed martial arts (MMA) event, set to go down tomorrow night (Sat., March 28, 2026) on Paramount+ from inside Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington, featuring a middleweight main event between former 185-pound champion, Israel Adesanya, and fast-rising power puncher Joe Pyfer, a five-round headliner with major title implications for late 2026 and beyond.
Before we dive into the main and co-main event, which
includes the 125-pound rematch between former flyweight champion, Alexa Grasso, and No. 5-ranked “Future” star, Maycee Barber, check out Andrew Richardson’s “X-Factor” breakdown for the rest of the UFC Seattle main card by clicking here. Get all the latest “Adesanya vs. Pyfer” odds and betting props courtesy of FanDuel right here. For UFC Seattle live results and play-by-play click here.
185 lbs.: Israel Adesanya vs. Joe Pyfer
Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya
Record: 24-5 | Age: 36 | Betting line: -135
Wins: 16 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 8 DEC | Losses: 2 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 2 DEC
Height: 6’4“ | Reach: 80” | Stance: Switch
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 4.02 | Striking accuracy: 48%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.20 | Striking Defense: 55%
Takedown Average: 0.05 (11% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 76%
Current Ranking: No. 4 | Last fight: Technical knockout loss to Nassourdine Imavov
Joe “BodyBagz” Pyfer
Record: 15-3 | Age: 29 | Betting line: +115
Wins: 9 KO/TKO, 4 SUB, 2 DEC | Losses: 1 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 1 DEC
Height: 6’2“ | Reach: 75” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 3.47 | Striking accuracy: 43%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.05 | Striking Defense: 53%
Takedown Average: 1.23 (33% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 50%
Current Ranking: No. 14 | Last fight: Submission victory over Abus Magomedov
Israel Adesanya has dropped three straight and four of his last five. What is more troubling is “The Last Stylebender” has looked progressively worse in each defeat. At the same time, he was also facing the four best middleweights in the world (Pereira would later abandon ship), so it’s not like he was getting slept by bottom-ranked bums. I just don’t know how much faith I have in his durability at this stage. After all, the former middleweight champion turns 37 in July and will compete in his thirtieth MMA fight this weekend in Seattle. On top of that, Adesanya registered more than 80 fights in kickboxing, Muay Thai, and boxing before transitioning to MMA full time.
There’s a lot of miles on those middleweight tires.
“You know how the game is,” Adesanya said during UFC Seattle media day. “People say, ‘you’re only as good as your last fight.’ When I’m done this weekend, I want people to be like, ‘Wow, f—k, how did I ever doubt him? How did I ever think he was done? Like what the f—k was I thinking?’ That’s the story I want to write this weekend. I think he’s very well-rounded. I think he is a big threat on the feet with the hands, and all he’s got a fast shot. I’ve studied that very well and his grappling tendencies. I look forward to him testing that against me. I want him to feel what I can do when it comes to grappling.”
Joe Pyfer finally cracked the middleweight Top 15 and now has a chance to break into the Top 10 — and possibly even the Top 5 — depending on his performance against Adesanya. The two-time “Contender Series” standout is 6-1 under the UFC banner with five knockouts and coming into UFC Seattle on the strength of a three-fight win streak. If there’s a knock against “BodyBagz” it’s the fact that his competition has been mediocre, at best, and his one loss inside the Octagon came against Swedish veteran Jack Hermansson. So yes, the same guy who got outstruck by “The Joker” must now throw hands with one of the greatest middleweight strikers in the history of MMA — across five rounds of action.
“They try to find holes where there are none,” Pyfer said during the UFC Seattle media day. “Like, the guy’s fighting the best in the world, and at this level, the smallest margin for error is, like, split seconds, and then you get caught. So, yeah, I don’t look into it that much, and, yeah, I’m expecting the best of Izzy. I know everybody’s trying to be like, ‘He’s on a three-fight losing streak. He’s lost four out of his last five.’ He is one of the best in the world, and he’s losing to the absolute best in the world. It’s not like he lost to some Joe Blow who just got in the UFC, you know what I mean? He’s losing to guys that are all at the top of the food chain, so give the guy some grace. I still think he’s one of the best in the world. I think he’s going to show up amazing, and I’m going to show up amazing, and we’re going to have a hell of a fight.”
The two best things Adesanya had going for him were speed and durability and based on what we’ve seen over the last few years, those game-changing attributes have started to diminish. The question is, how much? Coaches will tell you that fighters are the first ones to know they’re washed and the last ones to admit it; but again, until we see Adesanya lose to someone outside the Top 5 — like Pyfer — we can’t rule out a run of bad luck. “BodyBagz” has the power to end this early and also the grappling. What he doesn’t seem to have is a Plan B when his opponent won’t go down, which is why Pyfer seemed so lost against Kelvin Gastelum in last year’s showdown. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Adesanya struggle early, then settle down and let his experience take over to pull away in the second half of the fight.
Prediction: Adesanya def. Pyfer by decision
125 lbs.: Alexa Grasso vs. Maycee Barber
Alexa Grasso
Record: 16-5-1 | Age: 32 | Betting line: +150
Wins: 4 KO/TKO, 2 SUB, 10 DEC | Losses: 0 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 4 DEC
Height: 5’5“ | Reach: 66” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 4.11 | Striking accuracy: 41%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.73 | Striking Defense: 58%
Takedown Average: 0.41 (35% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 54%
Current Ranking: No. 3 | Last fight: Unanimous decision loss to Natália Silva
Maycee “The Future” Barber
Record: 15-2 | Age: 27 | Betting line: -180
Wins: 6 KO/TKO, 2 SUB, 7 DEC | Losses: 0 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 2 DEC
Height: 5’5“ | Reach: 65” | Stance: Switch
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 4.61 | Striking accuracy: 53%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 2.76 | Striking Defense: 54%
Takedown Average: 1.58 (45% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 51%
Current Ranking: No. 5 | Last fight: Unanimous decision victory over Karine Silva
Alexa Grasso and Maycee Barber first went to war in the UFC 258 co-main event back in early 2021, with Grasso capturing the unanimous decision victory. Grasso took the first two rounds 10-9 with Barber finishing strong in the third frame (10-9). In the nearly five years since their first fight, Grasso went on to win the flyweight title from Valentina Shevchenko, only to give it back to “Bullet” two fights later. You can make a comparison between Grasso and Adesanya, as the former strawweight is also coming off a couple of losses to the best in her class, so it feels a little fanboy-ish to declare her “done” after posting consecutive losses for the first time in her career.
“So much has happened since that first fight,” Grasso told MMA Junkie. “It’s been a long road, a very difficult one where I gained a lot of experience. All the five-round fights, the trainings. Life has changed me a lot; it teaches you so many things. But it’s been good. I’ve learned a lot. Throughout that time, I’ve realized the things I wanted to change, the things I wanted to improve in. I’m definitely not the same Alexa from 2021. To be honest, she’s one of my favorite fighters because she goes in there to fight. She doesn’t run or go in there to tie the fight up, you know. She goes in there to fight. The first fight was very good. I see it, and I go, ‘What a great fight we put on.’ We both went at it. We tried killing each other. I have no doubt we’re going to see a similar fight. So yeah, I’ve seen her improve a ton, and this bout excites me.”
Barber would probably be a superstar by now but her insufferable personality keeps her from breaking through to the next level. Sooner or later the promotion will have no choice but to grant her a title shot, assuming she remains reliable on the scale (not a guarantee) and polishes off the rest of the flyweight contenders. I’m not sure there are any obstacles between her and Shevchenko with a win over Grasso, which would mark the eighth straight for the 27 year-old “Future.” That said, her only ranked opponent during that span was Karine Silva at No. 10, so it’s not like she’s been bulldozing anyone of note and the well-traveled Grasso represents a significant step up in competition.
“I think I’m the most exciting fighter in the division,” Barber told MMA Junkie. “Hands down, I am the most exciting fighter in the 125-pound division. I don’t think there’s a single fighter in the division right now that has the ability to talk the way I do, fight the way I do, and dominate the way I do everywhere in the whole entire flyweight division. [Grasso] knows exactly what I bring to the table, and she can feel it. She felt it in the third round. I know for a fact that Grasso doesn’t want to fight that girl from the third round for three rounds again. That’s why I’ve been pushing for it and why that one matters so much to me, is because I know the fighter that I am, and I know what I bring to the table.”
Barber only has one finish across her last seven fights and is going to try to bully her way into the win column like she did against Karine Silva and Katlyn Cerminara, fights that saw “The Future” land multiple takedowns. That’s really what this fight boils down to, as Grasso will have to maintain her composure — as well as her upright position. If so, expect her to outclass Barber on the feet, though a close decision in either direction would not surprise me in this three-round rematch.
Prediction: Grasso def. Barber by decision
Don’t forget to check out the rest of the UFC Seattle main card predictions RIGHT HERE.
