5 Best Opponents for Israel Adesanya After Joe Pyfer Loss
Saturday was a tough night for Israel Adesanya, and unfortunately, it wasn't the first he's experienced of late.
Adesanya, a former two-time middleweight champion, returned to action in the main event of the UFC's latest stop in Seattle, taking on rising contender Joe Pyfer.
He showed some flashes of his former brilliance in the early going, but was ultimately stopped by punches in Round 2. It was his fourth loss in a row, following defeats to Sean Strickland, Dricus Du Plessis, and Nassourdine Imavov.
With so much adversity behind him, one might expect Adesanya to hang up the gloves and retire. However, that does not seem to be his plan.
In his post-fight interview, the 36-year-old made it clear he intends to keep competing for the time being. That begs the question, what's next?
That's tough to say, but here are five opponents we think make sense for the struggling former champion.
Shara Magomedov
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If Adesanya is going to keep fighting, then a slight step down in competition seems to be in order. If that's the way matchmakers go, then a fight with Shara Magomedov would be a great choice.
In the short time he's been on the UFC roster, the Russian has evolved into one of the most popular fighters in the middleweight division, thanks to his flashy and creative striking style. However, he has yet to emerge as a serious contender, largely due to a decision loss to Michael "Venom" Page early last year.
Magomedov seems like a perfect opponent for Adesanya right now. Despite not being ranked, he is one of the few strikers in the game with the skill to hang with the former champion on the feet, and he is not quite at the same level as the likes of Strickland, Du Plessis, Imavov, or Pyfer—yet.
The 31-year-old is also a big enough name to justify a fight with Adesanya, who is still one of the biggest stars in MMA.
Magomedov is scheduled to meet Michel Pereira on June 27, but assuming he wins that one, which he should, he could get the next call to take on the former champ.
Edmen Shahbazyan
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If a step down in competition is in the cards for Adesanya, another interesting opponent would be Edmen Shahbazyan.
Shahbazyan, a former training partner of Ronda Rousey, was once one of the fastest-rising contenders in the middleweight division. That was back when Adesanya was still the champion, and it seemed like there was a good chance they would end up fighting for the title.
However, it never happened, as Adesanya lost his belt, and Shahbazyan suffered a handful of hype-deflating losses himself.
Despite his recent struggles, a more mature Shahbazyan is now riding three straight wins. That streak has set him up for a surprising clash with Brendan Allen, who is one of the top contenders in the division.
If the 28-year-old springs the upset on Allen, which seems unlikely, he may be too far above Adesanya to justify this potential matchup.
However, it's also hard to imagine Shahbazyan turning down the fight, given Adesanya's legacy and popularity. If he loses to Allen, meanwhile, he would leap at the chance to get back on track against a legend like the former champ.
We'll have to wait until June 6 to see, but that would give Adesanya some time to recover from his tough loss to Pyfer.
Anthony Hernandez
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If Adesanya is determined to keep taking on relevant contenders like Imavov and Pyfer, then a fight with Anthony Hernandez could be next.
Up until recently, the 32-year-old was one of the top contenders in the middleweight division, with eight straight victories behind him. Then he ran into former champ Sean Strickland, and his momentum was derailed by a TKO loss.
The loss to Strickland sent Hernandez back to the drawing board. While it's still possible he'll work his way into title contention, he has some work to do before that happens.
A fight with a former champ like Adesanya would be a great opportunity to get back on track. It's an interesting style clash, as Hernandez favors suffocating grappling assaults over Adesanya's slick striking, and it would tell us a lot about who still belongs at the top in 2026.
It's a tough matchup for the former champ, but it could also be the fight that launches him back into title contention—as unlikely as that may seem.
Reinier de Ridder
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Like Anthony Hernandez, Reinier de Ridder would be another interesting test for the struggling Adesanya.
De Ridder, who previously held ONE Championship's middleweight and light heavyweight titles, had a quick rise to the top in the UFC, becoming a serious middleweight contender with statement wins over Bo Nickal and Robert Whittaker.
However, things have somewhat fallen apart since then, as he's suffered ugly losses to Brendan Allen and Caio Borralho.
Following his losses to Allen and Borralho, De Ridder announced plans to move up to light heavyweight, where he will not have to endure such a difficult weight cut. That would seemingly rule him out of a fight with Adesanya, but the former UFC champ has fought at light heavyweight before, and may enjoy doing so again for the same reason De Ridder is: Weight cuts get less fun the older a fighter gets.
Whether it occurs at middleweight or light heavyweight, this would be an interesting fight between two different fighters with impressive championship legacies.
It would be another tough one for Adesanya, as De Ridder is arguably an even more imposing grappler than Hernandez, but we know he can be beaten.
It's certainly possible Adesanya could pull it off, and if he did, he'd be right back in title contention.
Jamahal Hill
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As noted, there is a slight chance Adesanya might decide to bail on the weight cut down to middleweight and finish his career fighting slightly larger opposition at light heavyweight.
As fans will remember, his only previous light heavyweight fight ended badly, as he suffered a decision loss to Jan Blachowicz, but that doesn't preclude him from success in the weight class in the future.
The benefit of moving up to 205 pounds—aside from a much simpler weight cut—is that it would open the door to a bunch of fresh matchups for Adesanya. He has already fought many of the middleweight division's top dogs, but at light heavyweight, there is almost nothing but new challenges.
In the unlikely event that Adesanya does make a late-career move up to light heavyweight, Jamahal Hill would make a great opponent.
The 34-year-old American enjoyed a brief reign as UFC light heavyweight champion, so he shares Adesanya's title accolades. However, he's also fallen on hard times of late, with brutal losses to Alex Pereira, Jiri Prochazka and Khalil Rountree Jr. behind him.
There is no question Hill would be an extremely dangerous fight for Adesanya, as a larger opponent with fearsome stopping power.
However, Adesanya has fought many bigger opponents before, dating back to his kickboxing days, and has beaten many of them with his incredible technique. He could upset Hill, and if he did, he'd immediately insert himself in the light heavyweight title picture, which is now wide open, with the former champ Pereira headed up to heavyweight.
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