The situation has worsened for the former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya following his loss at UFC Seattle. Last week, Adesanya suffered his fourth consecutive defeat, falling to the rising contender Joe Pyfer. In the main event, Izzy started strong with a controlled pace, but he could not sustain it in the second round. Pyfer seized his moment, took Adesanya’s back, moved to mount, and landed a finishing barrage of punches to close it out.

The rankings fallout came quickly. Veteran MMA journalist John Morgan shared the post-UFC Seattle changes on X.

“Massive rankings move for Joe Pyfer following his UFC Seattle win,” wrote Jon Morgan on X. “Rising up eight spots to No. 6 in the middleweight rankings, tied with Anthony ‘Fluffy’ Hernandez.”

Brendan Allen, for one, was able to benefit from the shakeup, rising a couple of spots to No. 4, just behind former champion Sean Strickland. However, things didn’t turn out as well for Israel Adesanya, who dropped five places to ninth in the middleweight rankings.

Joe Pyfer is clearly on the rise, and after a few more strong outings, he could get a chance to fight for the title. The 36-year-old Israel Adesanya, however, is losing grip on title opportunities after his fourth consecutive loss. Still, after UFC Seattle, the Nigerian-Kiwi made it clear in an Octagon interview that he has no plans to retire.

“Keep going again and again and again and again and again,” Adesanya declared. “I’m not f–king leaving! You’ll never stop me. I might get beaten, but I’ll always remain undefeated.”

That statement highlights Adesanya’s immense willpower. However, if he keeps losing at this pace, he risks hurting his own legacy in the sport. Since leaving kickboxing, Israel Adesanya rose rapidly in the UFC, debuting in 2018. At his peak, he won nine straight fights and fought for the title multiple times, defeating top opponents like Alex Pereira, Yoel Romero, Paulo Costa, and Robert Whittaker.

Though he lost to Alex Pereira by knockout at UFC 281 in 2022, he avenged that loss at UFC 287 in April 2023. Unfortunately, that win marked the beginning of his decline. He went on to lose to top contenders like Sean Strickland, Dricus du Plessis, Nassourdine Imavov, and, most recently, Joe Pyfer. As a result, these setbacks have pushed Adesanya to the brink of dropping out of the middleweight top 10.

This run shows how unforgiving MMA can be, where no one stays on top forever. Right now, his next UFC outing remains uncertain. Still, the sport moves on, and after UFC Seattle, several other shakeups have been delivered in its aftermath.

Alexa Grasso, Maycee Barber, and others see ranking shifts after UFC Seattle

UFC Seattle delivered much more than just the Israel Adesanya vs Joe Pyfer middleweight clash. The card featured over 10 fights, and several matchups grabbed the fans’ attention. One of the biggest highlights came in the women’s flyweight division, where Alexa Grasso faced Maycee Barber in a brutal contest that left a lasting impression.

Barber ran into trouble early as former champion Grasso dropped her. Then, Grasso immediately capitalized, locked in a choke, and left Barber unconscious for almost a minute. Despite the intense finish, both fighters surprisingly continue to hold their rankings in the women’s flyweight division, with Grasso at No. 3 and Barber at No. 5. However, in the women’s pound-for-pound rankings, Alexa Grasso climbed two spots to No. 7 while Maycee Barber dropped out of the list altogether, with Norma Dumont entering in at No. 15.

On the prelims, Casey O’Neill delivered a statement performance and knocked out Gabriella Fernandes in the first round after almost two years away from the sport. With the win, O’Neill has moved up one spot to No. 11 in the women’s flyweight rankings. 

The heavyweight division also saw movement after UFC Seattle. Tyrell Fortune defeated veteran Marcin Tybura and entered the rankings at No. 10, while Tybura slipped to three spots to No. 11. At the same time, Vitor Petrino dropped out of the heavyweight rankings altogether.

Still, Israel Adesanya’s drop to ninth is the most significant ranking consequence of UFC Seattle, and with the top five increasingly out of reach on his current trajectory, the question is no longer whether he can reclaim the title, but how much longer he can remain a meaningful presence in the division’s upper tier.