Israel Adesanya has reacted to the official announcement of his return to the UFC. The former two-time middleweight champion has not competed inside the Octagon since last February, when he suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
The fan favourite will make his comeback on March 28, headlining UFC Seattle. The Nigerian-born New Zealander is set to face rising middleweight contender Joe Pyfer as he looks to get back to winning ways.
The bout was announced on Tuesday night by UFC president Dana White, and Adesanya wasted little time responding to the news. The 36-year-old shared a promotional video for the fight on his Instagram and X accounts shortly after the announcement.
Alongside the video, Adesanya wrote: “Aaaah s**t… here we go again!” The post quickly drew reactions from fans, many of whom expressed excitement about his return. Comments included messages such as “Let’s go Izzy!”, “It’s been too long,” and “Welcome back, champ.”
Adesanya is currently enduring the toughest stretch of his MMA career, having lost his last three fights. His most recent appearance came last February in Saudi Arabia, where he was knocked out by Nassourdine Imavov.
Last summer, in an interview ahead of his induction into the UFC Hall of Fame, Adesanya admitted his desire to return had already resurfaced. He revealed that sparring with former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman reignited his competitive fire, confirming that the urge to fight again had never truly gone away.
