UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs. Pyfer in Seattle, WA on March 28th, 2026 was one for the books and the best card of the year so far in the Paramount+ era. For the first time since 2022, all six main card fights ended in a finish. 150 events have passed since that last happened, and this is only the 6th event in UFC history where the entire main card ended in finishes. On top of that, the prelims delivered some phenomenal action that raised the overall entertainment level of this event even higher. Let's jump into it.
Prelims
Fight 1: Alexia Thainara def. Bruna Brasil — Unanimous Decision
Alexia came into this event as the 13th-ranked Women's Strawweight contender and showed exactly why she belongs in the rankings. Her grappling and cage control were too much for Brasil from the opening bell. Every time Brasil tried to build rhythm with her kicks, Thainara either caught them or used them to initiate takedowns.
Thainara racked up 6 takedowns — beating her career best of 5 — and over 9 minutes of control time (9:34). That's domination. Brasil had her moments and actually landed at a high accuracy (66%), but volume and positioning weren't even close. She just couldn't stay off her back long enough to matter.
A fairly one-sided fight. Brasil had a few flashes, especially a late spinning back kick that rocked Thainara, but she was losing every minute before and after that. Thainara looked like a legit control grappler with a clear path to climb in this division.
Fight 2: Ricky Simon vs. Adrian Yanez — Majority Draw
This fight was awesome... and the result was frustrating.
Yanez came in with the cleaner boxing and showed it throughout. His jab and right hand were sharp, and he dictated the pace in striking exchanges. Simon leaned on his wrestling, and when he got it going in Round 2, he looked great with control and ground-and-pound.
But Yanez led the fight with 71 significant strikes to Simon's 44 and added a knockdown in Round 3. That final round was clearly Yanez's — he dropped Simon and nearly finished him as the round expired.
That's why this decision was so confusing. A majority draw (28-28) felt like a robbery. I had Yanez winning Rounds 1 and 3, and the damage difference was clear. Simon deserves credit for his toughness — his face was destroyed and he kept pushing forward — but this felt like one that got taken away from Yanez.
Overall, Yanez's striking and ring movement were sharp all night. He looked like the more calm and precise fighter in this matchup. Tough break.
Fight 3: Navajo Stirling def. Bruno Lopes — TKO, Round 2
Navajo Stirling entered this fight 8-0 (3-0 in UFC) and showed why he's going to be a problem in the Light Heavyweight division. This was the first real "prospect arrival" moment of the card. Lopes came in tough and durable, but Stirling completely overwhelmed him with pressure, volume, and composure.
Round 1 was competitive, but Stirling's takedown defense set the tone. Once Lopes couldn't get the fight to the ground, it turned into a striking avalanche. In Round 2, Stirling flipped a switch — landing 41 significant strikes in the round alone and finishing with 63 total at 52% accuracy.
The finish was brutal. Lopes got buckled by a left hand, and Stirling just poured it on — ground-and-pound, elbows, everything. One thing is clear: Stirling doesn't panic. He builds, he breaks you, and then he finishes.
He's absolutely a name to be tracking moving forward.
Fight 4: Casey O'Neill def. Gabriella Fernandes — KO, Round 1
A ranked matchup in Women's Flyweight — 12th-ranked Casey O'Neill against 14th-ranked Gabriella Fernandes.
The first minute was uneventful. Both fighters were defending head strikes well, trading a few kicks, still finding their range. Fernandes landed a nice combo early. Then O'Neill landed a clean left hand that hurt Fernandes — and she recognized it immediately.
From that moment, it was over. O'Neill went into full swarm mode, backing Fernandes to the fence and unloading. She landed 25 significant strikes in just over 3 minutes, probably 10-16 of them directly to Fernandes' face in that finishing sequence. The only thing holding Fernandes up was the fence before she finally dropped and the ref called the KO.
O'Neill was screaming with emotion and crying after the stoppage. She was so happy. That was a pure killer instinct performance — once she smelled blood in the water, she poured on great combos until it was done. Fun KO to watch.
Fight 5: Tyrell Fortune def. Marcin Tybura — Unanimous Decision
Fortune made his UFC debut against the 8th-ranked Heavyweight contender Tybura and leaned on his college wrestling pedigree — he was D2 Wrestler of the Year in 2013 with a 37-1 record. That background showed up immediately. He landed 3 takedowns and racked up over 5 minutes of control time (5:07), which clearly won him Round 1 and likely Round 2 depending on how you scored the striking.
Tybura took over late, though. He outlanded Fortune 20-8 in Round 3 and looked like the fresher fighter down the stretch. That's why this decision felt weird — especially the 30-27 scorecard.
Even crazier, it was the first Bruce Buffer error I've ever seen. Buffer initially announced the wrong winner, and Fortune had to be brought back to the octagon for the correction. That kind of summed up the whole vibe around this fight — one of those messy heavyweight decisions.
Fight 6: Lance Gibson Jr. def. Chase Hooper — TKO, Round 1
This was one of my bigger question marks of the night.
Hooper is the kind of fighter who usually drags you into uncomfortable grappling exchanges. But here, he came out overly aggressive and put himself in tough positions early.
Both fighters traded kicks early. Hooper went for a takedown and Gibson defended it cleanly, landing some great strikes and elbows while Hooper held onto his leg. They separated, and Gibson started finding his range — landing a nice right hand to the body. Hooper was doing decent work with his kicks and even landed a head kick, but then Gibson caught one of Hooper's kick attempts.
That's when it turned. Gibson landed a devastating elbow that dropped Hooper. That initial elbow hurt him bad, and there was no way to recover. Gibson recognized it immediately, followed up with a kick, then grabbed Hooper's head and landed two knees. Hooper dropped again and the ref called it. TKO at 2:56.
This fight exposed a major issue for Hooper: if he can't secure grappling early, he's very vulnerable to damage. Did not see that one coming.
Main Card
Fight 7: Tofiq Musayev def. Ignacio Bahamondes — Unanimous Decision
This is one of my fight of the year candidates for 2026.
With tons of power from both men, this quickly turned into one of the bloodiest affairs in recent history. You could hear the POP on every swing. Round 2 brought some controversy — Musayev grabbed the fence to stay alive when he was about to get finished, and the ref didn't call it. Musayev followed that up with an elbow that struck Bahamondes and turned the mat into a crime scene.
For the remainder of the fight, Bahamondes was a bloodied mess. But he kept fighting, kept attacking submissions, and refused to break. There were moments where each fighter was on the verge of getting finished.
Musayev controlled nearly 8 minutes of fight time (7:51). His combination of power and top control was overwhelming. Bahamondes deserves all the respect in the world for his toughness, but Musayev imposed his will.
This fight was violence, toughness, and chaos throughout. An absolute war.
Fight 8: Terrance McKinney def. Kyle Nelson — TKO, Round 1 (0:24)
What's the fastest fight I've ever seen? 24 seconds.
McKinney wasted no time. There was a quick jab exchange, then McKinney landed a leg kick to the head that dropped Nelson to the mat. From there, McKinney hopped on top and dropped about 15 straight hammerfists while Nelson rolled up into a ball. Nelson never tried to get out of it — never tried to improve position, never fought back. Kind of pathetic, honestly. The ref had no choice but to call it.
McKinney continues to be one of the most explosive early finishers in the sport. That jab might have slightly hurt Nelson before the kick, but the head kick is what did the real damage. Once Nelson hit the ground, it was inevitable.
Fight 9: Yousri Belgaroui def. Mansur Abdul-Malik — KO, Round 3
Another great fight that added to the overall card quality, with both men entering undefeated in the UFC. But this was pure domination by Belgaroui.
He picked Abdul-Malik apart from the start with calf kicks and range control. By the numbers, it wasn't even close: 94 significant strikes to 16, at 60% accuracy. Belgaroui's height and striking management were the driving force all night — he controlled distance beautifully and never let Abdul-Malik get comfortable.
Abdul-Malik showed real toughness making it to the third round, but he was just surviving by then. The finish was a brutal knee to the head that ended it clean. A clinic in distance management and striking volume.
Fight 10: Lerryan Douglas def. Julian Erosa — KO, Round 1
Douglas made a statement in his UFC debut.
Douglas came out sharp from the start — good calf kicks early that quickly compromised Erosa's front leg, followed by a big uppercut that got his attention. A right hand from Douglas sent Erosa stumbling back.
From there, it was the Lerryan Douglas show. His jab was the story — a stiff, powerful jab that kept putting Erosa down. He'd drop Erosa, let him get back up, and then drop him again. It happened multiple times. He landed 29 of 48 significant strikes (60%) including multiple knockdowns. Once that calf was compromised, the rest of the fight went entirely Douglas's way. The ref finally called it at 3:33 when Erosa went down for the last time.
Some serious power in that kid's hands. One of the most impressive debuts on the card.
Fight 11: Michael Chiesa def. Niko Price — Submission, Round 1
Michael Chiesa got his fairy tale ending.
Early grappling from both men. Price actually got the first takedown on Chiesa, but Chiesa recovered with fence control and hit a slam takedown of his own. He went for the choke early — Price tried to slam him over the top to escape, but Chiesa regained back control and locked in the rear-naked choke. Price tapped at 1:03 of Round 1.
For a retirement fight, this was perfect. Short, clean, no major damage. Chiesa got to celebrate with his wife and parents outside the cage, dropped his gloves in the center of the octagon in his hometown of Seattle. It was a genuinely heartfelt moment for a fighter who's been competing since 2008. Good for him.
Fight 12: Alexa Grasso def. Maycee Barber — KO, Round 1
This goes down as my all-time favorite women's MMA knockout. Contender for knockout of the year, easily.
The co-main event featured 5th-ranked Maycee Barber against 3rd-ranked Alexa Grasso in the Women's Flyweight division. Grasso went straight back to her roots as one of the best women's strikers in the entire UFC. She looked comfortable throughout, got her hands active early, and was in control of the fight.
Then she landed a 1-2 with the left hand catching Barber clean on the chin. Barber's body just dropped to the mat — lights out. Grasso jumped on her back to secure the finish before the ref called it. It was a scary sight. It took a few minutes for Barber to come back to her senses, and the respect Grasso showed — praying and standing by Barber's side as she recovered — was a class act.
Grasso showed why she's one of the best in the sport, needing only 12 significant strikes. Pure precision. Pure timing. If she isn't the best pure boxer in the Women's Flyweight division, I don't know who is.
Fight 13: Joe Pyfer def. Israel Adesanya — TKO, Round 2
The main event: 14th-ranked Joe Pyfer against two-time UFC Middleweight Champion and currently 4th-ranked Israel Adesanya.
Like Israel's last three fights, he had a really nice Round 1. He defended Pyfer's takedown attempts well and landed strikes when the opportunity presented itself, mixing in calf and body kicks. Adesanya looked comfortable and in control early.
Round 2 started similarly — Adesanya working his kicking game, and Pyfer started to look a little gingerly on his front calf. But then Joe came alive. His powerful striking started landing clean, and he began getting Adesanya up against the fence. Pyfer eventually got Israel to the mat, and that's where the fight ended. Pyfer's ground-and-pound was relentless — he unloaded until the ref stepped in for the TKO.
Pyfer was 2-for-8 on takedowns, and Adesanya was defending them well in the first round. But those two successful attempts were all Pyfer needed to find his path to victory. He landed 36 significant strikes at 51% accuracy, and the power behind them was real.
This was the biggest win of Pyfer's career. He displayed a search-and-destroy mentality from start to finish. This wasn't a fluke — Pyfer imposed himself and broke Adesanya.
Night in Review
This card had it all: dominant grappling performances (Thainara, Fortune, Musayev), elite strikers (Douglas, Belgaroui, Grasso), and explosive finishers (McKinney, Gibson Jr., Pyfer).
Biggest Risers:
- Joe Pyfer — instant contender
- Navajo Stirling — real prospect
- Lerryan Douglas — debut breakout
- Yousri Belgaroui — elite striking presence
- Alexa Grasso — elite, patient striking
Biggest Questions:
- What's next for Israel Adesanya after a loss like that? His 4th in a row.
- Did Yanez get robbed?
- What can the UFC do to replicate this type of card going forward?
Overall Card Score: 9.3
Great entertainment throughout with a bunch of finishes to excite the fan base. And at the top of the card, Joe Pyfer just proved he belongs.
All fighter stats and comparison data available at FightingData.com. Follow @fightingdata on X for fight-by-fight breakdowns.