Sooo ... About Last Night
· Yahoo Sports
Last night (Sat., March 28, 2026), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ventured forth to the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington for UFC Seattle. Atop the card, former champion Israel Adesanya hoped to avoid his fourth consecutive loss (and likely retirement) at the hands of rising knockout artist Joe Pyfer. In addition, Maycee Barber aimed to score revenge over ex-champ Alexa Grasso, and Michael Chiesa vs. Niko Price collided in a rare double-retirement fight.
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Let’s take a look back over the best performances and techniques of the evening:
A Main Event War
Adesanya and Pyfer threw down for every second of their UFC Seattle main event.
Early on, Adesanya was aggressive but sharp. He worked well behind his jab and kicks, really chopping at the lead leg. He committed to his kicks while showing enough counter punches to keep Pyfer on him. On the flip side, Pyfer actively sought to wrestle, scoring a late takedown and some big elbows. He struggled to find Adesanya with his punches, which clearly carried murderous power.
Did Adesanya grow a little too confident in round two? Having hurt Pyfer to the calf and liver, Adesanya started letting his hands fly way too much. Suddenly, the tables turned, as a Pyfer hook stunned “Stylebender” and put him on the defensive. Pyfer smartly used that opportunity to gain top position, where he really showed excellent top control to set up the ground-and-pound finish.
Being giant and strong helped too, of course.
All told, it was a very entertaining bout that stands out as easily Pyfer’s best win yet. He mixed it up well and maintained his composure while eating big shots. His athletic gifts are undeniable, and it sure feels like the 29-year-old slugger will be a relevant player in the Middleweight title picture for many years to come. As for Adesanya, he’s adamant that this loss will not retire him, but one wonders what’s next for the former divisional kingpin.
Grasso Flatlines Barber
Maycee Barber is an aggressive and physical fighter. She wins fights by bullying her opposition, getting in their face and roughing them up. Even acknowledging her usual style and the necessary risks of her game plan, she fought irresponsibly versus Alexa Grasso.
Barber — originally a right-handed fighter — fought entirely Southpaw and did not at all hesitate to push into the pocket from the very first bell. Why try to trade punches with the boxer from your secondary stance? Barber was asking for trouble, trusting too heavily in her own power and grit while discounting Grasso’s skill. Grasso may not be known as a finisher generally, but her trilogy with Valentina Shevchenko definitively proved she has power in her hands.
Barber just found out the hard way. She stayed in Grasso’s face until a perfect left hand jacked her jaw, a follow-up punch put her to sleep fully, and Grasso locked in a rear naked choke for good measure. The whole fight lasted less than a round, and it’s hard not to feel like Barber rushed herself into a knockout loss when just a bit of patience and clinch work could have resulted in a more competitive fight.
Grasso, meanwhile, has been overlooked because of some tough recent losses to the very best Flyweights in the world. She remains an elite contender and title threat, and maybe now she’ll get some respect for her knockout power after scoring an all-time great Flyweight KO.
Chiesa’s Storybook Ending
UFC Seattle could not have gone any better for Michael Chiesa.
Against an opponent strangely willing to wrestle, “The Maverick” didn’t have much trouble gaining top position. Almost immediately, Price turned his back, which is pretty much the last thing you should ever do against Michael Chiesa, a man with seven previous rear naked choke finishes inside the Octagon. Price tried to slam his way to freedom and instead gave up his neck for a tapout inside a minute.
It was an emotional ending for Chiesa, who rushed into the crowd to celebrate with his family. He’s a true overachiever of the last decade, a TUF champion who won as an underdog and then went on to be ranked Top 10 in two seperate divisions. He leaves the sport with a very positive (15-7) UFC record, as well as wins over the likes of Rafael dos Anjos, Beneil Dariush, Carlos Condit and plenty of other talented fighters.
Positive endings are rare in this sport, so it’s a good idea to appreciate that Chiesa is an exception, able to walk away on both his own terms and on a high note.
An Explosive UFC Debut
I think everyone just became a fan of Lerryan Douglas.
The Brazilian “Gunslinger” promised fireworks in his UFC debut versus veteran Featherweight slugger Julian Erosa, and he delivered. Right away, he was firing crisp combinations of powerful punches, trading blows with a sort of precise aggression. His fast jab found its way inside Erosa’s more looping blows, and he chewed up the lead leg as well.
Before long, Erosa was a wounded man, unable to stand easily or handle the firepower coming his way. There was a surreal moment in which Douglas dropped or rocked Erosa with three straight power jabs — something you never see in MMA! The finish came moments later, but Erosa flying off his feet in the face of a shotgun jab will be the lasting memory of this fight.
I can’t wait for the next Lerryan Douglas booking.
Middleweight’s Newest Contender
Former GLORY kickboxer Yousri Belgaroui just smashed one of the division’s top prospects.
Mansur Abdul-Malik has a lot of the qualities one looks for in a future champion. He’s huge for the division, is an accomplished wrestler, and has definite knockout power. He’s shown real moments of brilliance thus far in his early UFC career … but Belgaroui methodically picked him apart and made him look fairly helpless! In the process, he looked very much like his coach and teammate, Alex Pereira.
Belgaroui’s success began with the calf kick, as he worked behind the jab and broke down the lead leg of Abdul-Malik, who clearly was not used to operating at a range disadvantage. Before too long, Abdul-Malik was a lot less mobile, leaving him more vulnerable to Belgaroui’s powerful right hand, clinch knees, and intercepting counter punches.
The damage added up very quickly. Belgaroui spent a large percentage of round two just teeing off on Abdul-Malik’s iron chin, and his defense held up well when the desperation wrestling exploded out from Abdul-Malik. As Abdul-Malik’s gas tank ran out, Belgaroui just kept cracking him with heavy, well-placed strikes of all variety. He landed devastating knees, ripping liver shots, and lots of mean right hands to eventually knock him out late in the third.
Abdul-Malik’s corner considered throwing in the towel at the end of round two and probably should have done so. His gas tank was empty and his body was toast — there was no chance of a third-round rally, only more damage to a young fighter.
Regardless, Belgaroui has come a very long way from his Contender Series performances and now looks like a serious threat at 185 pounds.
Hooper, We Have A Problem
26-year-old Chase Hooper’s Lightweight career has hit a snag.
For a moment, 155 pounds was a reinvention for the struggling young talent. As soon as he jumped up from Featherweight, he ripped off a five-fight win streak with three finishes. Immediately, his cardio was improved, his punches landed with greater impact, and it felt like the up-and-comer was really coming into his own. Unfortunately, Alexander Hernandez cracked him last time out, ending his streak with a first-round knockout.
That’s okay, though; speed bumps are a common part of the MMA journey. When it happens twice in a row, however? That’s not good. Lance Gibson Jr. employed the same strategy as Hernandez, maintaining distance and waiting for Hooper to overextend. He ended up punishing a bad takedown attempt rather than overlong punch, but the concept was still the same.
Hooper is not a huge hitter. He manages on the feet by throwing a lot of volume, but his Lightweight opponents have figured out that evasive movement will allow them to land much harder with a bit of patience. Unless Hooper significantly levels up his technical kickboxing or wrestling, I’m not sure there’s an easy solution.
Hooper may have hit his ceiling for the immediate future.
Saved By The Bell!
Officially, Adrian Yanez went to a draw with hometown hero Ricky Simon. Functionally, he very much knocked out Simon in the final exchange of the fight! Simon could barely stand after the bell, wobbling all over the cage in a bloody display of toughness. Yanez also definitely deserved the official nod on the scorecards, as he pretty clearly boxed up Simon in the opening round in addition to the third-round near-KO.
Regardless of the ending and the wonky judging, Yanez was really impressive here. This is his first fight back in over a year, and Simon is no softball. Despite the wrestling threat in front of him, Yanez was able to box beautifully, building counter combinations filled with body-head attacks and sticking Simon with lots of jabs. When Yanez was taken down, he worked hard to regain his footing and get back on the gas. It’s his best performance in years, to be frank, reminiscent of his early introduction to UFC competition and hyped-up rise.
It’s a shame the judges failed to reward his great work.
Additional Thoughts
- Terrance McKinney defeats Kyle Nelson via first-round knockout (highlights): Despite the pre-fight promises of patience, the usual “T-Wrecks” was on display here! He stormed out of the gate and rocked Nelson immediately with a high kick, flooring the Canadian veteran. Beneath his larger, powerful opponent, Nelson could manage little but to cover up under the hail of hammerfists. The whole bout lasted a mere 24 seconds, further proof that McKinney is the most committed kill-or-be-killed fighter on the entire roster.
- Casey O’Neill defeats Gabriella Fernandes via first-round knockout (highlights): “King Casey” can crack! After two years on the sidelines dealing with knee injuries, O’Neill made the most of her Octagon return in short order. Feinting her way into range and firing in combination, O’Neill found her distance quickly then stunned Fernandes with a nasty counter hook. Given that opening, O’Neill unleashed a barrage of punches that left the Brazilian slumped on the canvas. After the win, O’Neill was immediately overwhelmed by the circumstances that led to her comeback and subsequent release of emotion — it’s clear this moment meant everything to her.
- Navajo Stirling defeats Bruno Lopes via second-round knockout (highlights): THIS is the performance fans have been hoping for from Navajo Stirling! The 6’4” kickboxer is very obviously a great physical talent and trains with a world-class camp in City Kickboxing. After a 3-0 start to his UFC career, however, the Kiwi had yet to pick up a stoppage win. That changed here in violent fashion, as Stirling precisely picked apart Lopes with long range punches. He broke him down to the body then took his right hand upstairs, knocking down Lopes repeatedly before taking mount and raining down elbows for a bloody stoppage. Young, undefeated, and talented, Stirling might be the best rising Light Heavyweight on the UFC roster.