Israel Adesanya will try to snap his three-fight losing streak at UFC Seattle.
The former two-time middleweight champion has dropped down the ranks to face Joe Pyfer on Saturday night.
Losing to the #14-ranked contender at 185lbs could signify the end of Israel Adesanya‘s legendary career.
Will that happen? Let’s see what the Bloody Elbow writers think about the UFC Seattle main event.
Bloody Elbow staff back Israel Adesanya to snap his losing streak
Jordan Ellis: Israel Adesanya is past his peak; there is no doubt about that. However, I’m not convinced he’s totally shot and therefore incapable of competing at the top level. Joe Pyfer is nowhere near being an elite-level middleweight. I expect Adesanya to look good when he beats him at UFC Seattle.
PREDICTION: ISRAEL ADESANYA BY KNOCKOUT
Donagh Corby: “I’d imagine that this fight will look something like Sean O’Malley vs Song Yadong from UFC 324, with Adesanya showing the levels but never quite fully getting into fifth gear. If he can’t beat Joe Pyfer, he’ll need to have a serious look at where his career stands. But he should, and I think he’ll win by unanimous decision.”
PREDICTION: ISRAEL ADESANYA BY DECISION
Jamie Theodosi: “I think Israel Adesanya is on an expected decline at the back end of his career, and after over a year off, it’s hard to imagine he comes back looking like his old self. Having said that, Joe Pyfer isn’t someone I would regard as an elite middleweight, and Izzy should have the tools to break down the Pyfer wall.”
PREDICTION: ISRAEL ADESANYA BY DECISION
Kyle Dimond: “It’s going to be an anxious watch, but I’d expect Adesanya to get the win. Fighting people with power in their punches who want to take him down is nothing new. I was pretty impressed by Pyfer submitting Magomedov last time out, but I still feel like Adesanya will be a step ahead.”
PREDICTION: ISRAEL ADESANYA BY DECISION
Harvey Leonard: “I still haven’t seen enough from Israel Adesanya in terms of his decline to suggest he can’t defeat Joe Pyfer across five rounds. The American’s route to victory is likely a finish, but we haven’t seen the former champion taken down and submitted aside from in a gruelling fight with DDP, and I have a feeling he will avoid the kind of knockout punch that Nassourdine Imavov caught him with last time out.”