Israel Adesanya has revealed he could retire from the UFC by 2027, with less than 10 fights remaining in his career, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. The former two-time middleweight champion, who faces Joe Pyfer at UFC Seattle on March 28, admitted on his YouTube channel that the countdown clock is ticking. The prospect of facing a grappler like De Ridder on just five or six weeks’ notice had excited Adesanya, offering a new challenge he had never experienced in his UFC tenure. The Last Stylebender also criticised the current state of the UFC middleweight division, describing it as “bland” compared to when he was champion. Adesanya, who holds the record for the second-longest winning streak in middleweight division history behind Anderson Silva, said the division lacks the excitement it had during his reign.

Source: Punch February 12, 2026 09:59 UTC