Joe Pyfer reveals his stance on Israel Adesanya retiring after sharing the cage with him

Joe Pyfer experienced Israel Adesanya’s current skillset first-hand at UFC Seattle.

The legendary former two-time UFC middleweight champion had his losing skid extended at the Climate Pledge Arena this past Saturday.

Adesanya was knocked out by Pyfer in round two of their headliner, marking the Nigerian-New Zealander’s fourth straight setback inside the Octagon.

With that, many think the 36-year-old’s time is up. But Pyfer is calling for fans to tone down that narrative.

Joe Pyfer thinks Israel Adesanya is still good enough to keep fighting

It did not take long for Adesanya to address the inevitable retirement calls that were always expected to follow another loss in the cage.

Despite what many of his supporters are saying, Adesanya has no plans to end his career yet, instead vowing to “respawn” and fight again.

Among those supporting that decision is apparently Pyfer.

Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, ‘Bodybagz’ sent a message to those urging the UFC legend to retire.

“I think people are being really hard on him,” Pyfer said. “It’s really upsetting to see all the comments. That’s part of why I’m not super excited — one man’s victory is another man’s suffering.

“I know Izzy’s set for life, but all the people that are saying negative stuff about him — ‘This guy should just retire,’ this and that — the guy had a competitive fight with me. I’m 29 years old. I’m young, one of the hardest hitters in the division. I’m not a small guy; I’m a very powerful dude.

“He did very well. He looked good, he looked hungry. He looked like he wanted to be there,” he continued. “When you’re fighting at this level, anybody can win.

“He’s still competing at the highest level. The only guys he lost to before me were the top guys in the top five. So, give the guy some grace. … I wish the fans would show more love than they do hate.”