Israel Adesanya hasn’t fought in almost a year, ever since his third-fight skid to Nassourdine Imavov in February last year. With fight pundits arguing his best years are behind him, and even retirement rumors swirling among the fans, the former two-time middleweight champion’s vigor has become a thing of fables. Or so it seemed until Colby Covington threw down the gauntlet at the middleweight division, and the Nigerian-Kiwi set his sights on a long-awaited grand return. Well, now there’s an official confirmation.

On March 28, 2026, Israel Adesanya will return to the cage to face the 185-pound knockout machine Joe Pyfer in the main event of UFC Fight Night 271.

Israel Adesanya’s UFC return confirmed

“Seattle, we’re coming back. We’ll be back on March 28 at the Climate Pledge Arena. The main event: former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya vs Joe Pyfer. Adesanya, the former two-time middleweight champion, has 16 of his 24 wins by knockout, while Joe Pyfer is on a three-fight winning streak. And since winning on the Contender Series, all but one of his wins have come by finish,” Dana White announced during a recent Instagram live stream.

Online sources had earlier claimed that Izzy is set to make his anticipated return to the Octagon against Joe Pyfer at UFC 327 on April 11 in Miami, Florida. But as it turns out, the UFC CEO had this matchup lined up for much earlier. Israel Adesanya has already cemented himself as one of the greatest middleweights in UFC history. Still, coming off a three-fight losing streak, stepping in with a dangerous finisher like Pyfer could be a seriously daunting task.

Number 15-ranked ‘Bodybagz’ might not be the biggest name in the division. However, he is quickly rising as a top threat to other middleweight contenders. With 3 back-to-back dominant wins, Pyfer flashes a UFC record of 6-1. Moreover, with 9 KO finishes in his MMA career, the 29-year-old is known for his heavy hands and knockout power, although he is also well-versed in submissions. But that’s not all.

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Now, with Adesanya and Pyfer, two of the biggest names at 185 pounds, set to clash in the main event at UFC Seattle on March 28, Dana White made sure the co-main event matched the hype. During the live announcement, the UFC CEO revealed a flyweight rematch five years in the making, as Alexa Grasso will square off against a familiar rival, Maycee Barber. The pair last met at UFC 258 in 2021, where Grasso walked away with the win. This time, however, the stakes feel even bigger, with both women’s title ambitions riding on a victory in Seattle.

While the matchup is now set in stone, it presents another comeback opportunity for the former middleweight champion with Colby Covington waiting in line. Himself being on a similar devastating stretch as Adesanya, ‘Chaos’ last found himself on the winning column back in 2022. However, with his latest wrestling feat against Luke Rockhold in RAF 5, Covington has found himself with newfound confidence against bigger opponents like Israel Adesanya.

“Someone like Israel Adesanya intrigues me—a former champion like myself, someone who generates hype, has a following, has a platform and a brand. So I think the Izzy fight makes a lot more sense than anything, and he’s someone I don’t really like,” Covington stated while calling out Adesanya.

While a bout against Israel Adesanya won’t be a walk in the park, even as his losses pile up, ‘Chaos’ is never one to shy away from challenges, with him putting MMA greats like GSP on his RAF dream list. However, even as new threats and challengers pop up in Israel Adesanya’s UFC comeback picture, ‘Izzy’ has a different approach to his final MMA stretch.

Izzy shifts his attention from UFC belts

Adesanya’s absence from the UFC has created a void in the MW division of the promotion. While Adesanya would initially explain his position of experimenting with his UFC career and not completely retiring from it, he quickly found his take to be too nuanced to wrap up neatly.

“But now, I just go, ‘Yeah, I’m retired,’ until they see me on the poster,” Adesanya shared with Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA. “For me, it’s not about belts anymore – I’ve got two shiny belts at home. It looks good, but I just wanna fight. I just wanna do things like I did on my way to the belt,” he added, as he reminisced about his early UFC days.

For ‘The Last Stylebender’, fights don’t just mean another call to grind for the division gold. But rather, it presents an opportunity to bend combat styles and have fun inside the Octagon, as his UFC moniker would suggest. Whether Adesanya entertains his dedicated fanbase against Joe Pyfer or takes on Covington’s cold threat, he is sure to enter the cage in vogue.

Who would you like to see Israel Adesanya make his UFC comeback against? Should he take on the next generation of middleweights in Pyfer? Or settle his accounts with Covington? Comment below.