Rankings Shakeup: How far does Israel Adesanya fall after UFC Seattle loss?

Israel Adesanya can’t win.

April 2023. That’s the last time “The Last Stylebender” had his hand raised in victory and while few would fault him for losses to Dricus du Plessis, Sean Strickland, and Nassourdine Imavov, the 36-year-old may have reached a breaking point at UFC Seattle. Joe Pyfer more seized the opportunity to take out a two-time UFC champion, hurting Adesanya on the feet and then finishing with relentless ground-and-pound for a second-round knockout.

That’s four straight losses now for Adesanya, with his past three telling a familiar story: He’s winning until he isn’t. Adesanya still shows flashes of the star that flirted with two-division supremacy, but with every outing he appears to lose a fraction of a step and the consequences have been costlier and costlier. The path forward for Adesanya is unclear even as he insists that he is not considering retiring from competition just yet.

What is clear is that in the eyes of the esteemed MMA Fighting panel, Adesanya is no longer a top 10 middleweight. It’s a stunning fall from grace for a fighter that has dominated both the 185-pound and pound-for-pound charts for years, and a reminder that no matter how good you are, if you hang around this game long enough, there’s eventually nowhere to go but down.

On a brighter note, Adesanya’s drop means two fighters enter the top 10 for the first time. Pyfer, obviously, and PFL champion Costello van Steenis, who continues his unlikely rise up the ranks after scoring a second, more definitive win over Fabian Edwards at PFL Madrid.

Check out MMA Fighting’s updated 185-pound rankings below.

Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 4 Sean Strickland def. No. 6 Anthony Hernandez, Joe Pyfer def. No. 7 Israel Adesanya, No. 9 Caio Borralho def. No. 8 Reinier de Ridder, No. 11 Michael Page def. Sam Patterson (WW bout), No. 13 Costello van Steenis def. Fabian Edwards, No. 15 Johnny Eblen def. Bryan Battle

Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 1 Khamzat Chimaev vs. No. 3 Sean Strickland (UFC 328, May 9), No. 7 Brendan Allen vs. Edmen Shahbazyan (UFC Vegas 118, June 6)

Falling out of the rankings (January 2026 ranking shown): No. 11 Michael Page (returned to welterweight) No. 14 Paulo Costa

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