On Tuesday, Dana White went live on Instagram with breaking news regarding UFC Seattle. The event will be headlined by a middleweight clash between Israel Adesanya and Joe Pyfer.
The event is scheduled to take place at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on Mar. 28. It will stream live on Paramount+, which is the new home of the UFC.
Adesanya, 36, has a lot at stake. He currently sits at No. 6 in the UFC’s middleweight rankings, while Pyfer is ranked No. 15.
Pyfer, 29, looks to make a name for himself at the former middleweight champion’s expense. A win over Adesanya would certainly result in a strong push up the rankings and into the title picture.
Adesanya last competed at UFC Fight Night 250, where he suffered a 2nd round TKO loss to Nassourdine Imavov. That loss extended his losing skid to three consecutive fights, as previously lost to Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland. His last win came against Alex Periera at UFC 287, where he earned a spectacular knockout to reclaim the middleweight title.
Meanwhile, Pyfer is riding plenty of momentum, as he is riding a three-fight winning streak. That steak includes victories over Marc-Andre Barriault, Kelvin Gastelum, and Abusupiyan Magomedov.
Dana White Announces Rematch for UFC Seattle Co-Main Event
Dana White also revealed the co-main event for the upcoming UFC Seattle card on Mar. 28. He announced that former UFC women’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso will take on Maycee Barber.
Grasso and Barber are no strangers to each other. Their bout will be a rematch of their UFC 251 encounter. Grasso got the better of Barber in that fight, earning a unanimous decision victory.
Now, five years later, Barber seeks to avenge that loss and prove that she is the better fighter. She hasn’t lost since, winning seven consecutive fights.
Meanwhile, Grasso is winless in her last three fights. She lost back-to-back decisions to Natalia Silva and Valentina Shevchenko, along with a draw against Shevchenko prior to those losses.
Barber can move closer to a title shot, especially if she defeats the former flyweight champion in decisive fashion.
White Praised Seattle After Previous UFC Fight Night Event
White was thrilled with the previous UFC Seattle event last year and praised the fans for a lively atmosphere. That event was headlined by a bantamweight clash between former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo and Song Yadong.
Although that main event ended in controversial fashion following a double eye poke on Cejudo, White was pleased with the overall card. During the UFC Seattle post-fight press conference, the UFC CEO gave a glowing review for the city.
“The entire card was incredible,” White said. “I know you guys have sat through this a million times but there’s this thing that I call the curse of the prelims. When the prelims are incredible, the main card sucks. So thank you, Seattle for breaking the curse.”
He added:
“I’m so glad we came back to Seattle,” White said. “We will not wait ten years to come back here.”
White kept his word, as returns with another event headlined by a former UFC champion 13 months later.
Dana White Announces Israel Adesanya vs. Joe Pyfer for UFC Seattle Headliner