Joe Pyfer scored the biggest win of his career Saturday night by stopping former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya via TKO in the second round of their main event at UFC Fight Night in Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena.

Pyfer stung Adesanya with strikes in the pocket before securing a takedown midway through Round 2. He transitioned from mount to back control and unleashed ground-and-pound that forced referee intervention at 4:18. The victory marked Pyfer's fourth consecutive win and his first main event triumph since graduating from Dana White's Contender Series. In a raw post-fight interview, Pyfer revealed personal struggles, stating he "almost took my own life a couple weeks ago."

Adesanya, entering on a three-fight skid, showed sharpness early with precise striking but couldn't withstand Pyfer's pressure. The loss extends the Nigerian star's slump and raises questions about his future at 36 years old.

The co-main event delivered another stunner as former women's flyweight champion Alexa Grasso knocked out surging contender Maycee Barber at 2:42 of Round 1. Grasso landed a devastating left hand in a firefight, dropping Barber awkwardly to the canvas. She instinctively locked in a rear-naked choke, but Barber was already unconscious, prompting the stoppage. The finish snapped Barber's seven-fight winning streak and propelled Grasso back into title contention after back-to-back losses.

Both Pyfer and Grasso earned Performance of the Night bonuses, each worth $100,000, alongside Fight of the Night for lightweight opener Tofiq Musayev vs. Ignacio Bahamondes.

The main card was a parade of finishes. Lightweight Terrance McKinney demolished Kyle Nelson with a head kick and punches just 24 seconds into Round 1. Veteran Michael Chiesa submitted Niko Price with a rear-naked choke at 1:03 of the first in his announced retirement fight, improving to 20-7 overall. Brazilian featherweight Lerryan Douglas made a statement in his UFC debut by knocking out Julian Erosa at 3:33 of Round 1, and Dutch striker Yousri Belgaroui finished prospect Mansur Abdul-Malik with a knee and punches in Round 3.

The prelims featured quick action too, including Lance Gibson Jr.'s first-round TKO of Chase Hooper and Casey O'Neill's knockout of Gabriella Fernandes. A majority draw between Ricky Simon and Adrian Yanez provided the night's only decision stalemate on the main slate.

A crowd of 17,854 generated a $4.19 million gate for the promotion's return to Seattle, the second such event in as many years. Multiple fight changes due to injuries and other issues preceded the card, but the action delivered on hype with six main card stoppages.

Pyfer's rise positions him as a potential Top 5 middleweight contender, while Grasso eyes a path back to the flyweight throne. Adesanya, meanwhile, faces an uncertain road ahead after another high-profile defeat.