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When UFC returns to Seattle on March 28, similar to last year's event, a former champion will look to fend off a rising contender in the main event, as Israel Adesanya takes on Joe Pyfer.

It was a matchup that came out of nowhere when UFC CEO Dana White announced it on Tuesday, however Pyfer revealed Wednesday on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show" that discussions had been ongoing for roughly a month. Pyfer said the original fight offer was to face Paulo Costa, until the promotion went in a different direction and Costa was ultimately booked for a light heavyweight fight.

Despite going into the high-profile headliner on a three-fight win streak, Pyfer admitted he knew he was a surprising option to face a legend like former two-time UFC middleweight champ Adesanya.

"They came back with the Izzy fight. I was like, ‘Dude, absolutely.' It’s a win-win," Pyfer said. "There’s no losing, no matter the result. This is a life-changing moment for me, and in my opinion, he’s the best middleweight of all time. So to have that fight knowing he doesn't have many more left, it’s an honor.

"To be honest, there's many other guys that deserve this fight probably over me. I'm No. 15. They teeter-tottered with me being in the rankings after I beat Abus [Magomedov], even though he was No. 15 when I fought him.

"The Paulo Costa fight was the top 15, obviously, and I was like, it's a good fight, but it really doesn't move the needle for me," Pyfer added. "Me beating Costa or fighting Costa, if I beat him, it doesn't move the needle for my name. I feel like it's just treading water to maintain my spot type of deal, just because of the current rank that he was, and inactivity of his last five years has not been that great, then how many fights [with Costa] have been canceled, the missing weight. I'm in a position where I don't want to lose a fight and I don't want to deal with pullouts."

Pyfer, 29, has gotten off to a fast start since arriving in UFC through the promotion's Contender Series in July 2022. At the time, Adesanya was the king of the middleweight division and gearing up for his big title clash against the then-undefeated Costa. While both were the coincidental options Pyfer discussed ahead of his next bout, Pyfer never expected the promotion to land on "The Last Stylebender."

Remembering watching the former two-time champion compete before he was even in the UFC, Pyfer said it will be nothing but respect shared ahead of the bout.

“Izzy was not on the radar, and when they said it, man, I was just grateful. It could have been anybody, but it’s me. It’s little Joey P.," Pyfer said.

"The way my story is, it can’t be written any better — all the adversity I’ve had, the journey I’ve been on, the ups, the downs, the sickness, the injuries. I finally get my chance, and it's fair game. He breathes air and has lungs. Having said that, I have a lot of respect for him. I like this dude, and I'm just excited to go in there and compete against one of the best.”

In terms of experience, Adesanya carries a healthy advantage with 29 pro MMA fights to Pyfer's 18. When including his lengthy kickboxing career, though, Adesanya holds a clear edge on-paper.

The trajectories of both men's careers have led them to collide at contrasting UFC crossroads — Adesanya has lost his past three appearances, while Pyfer won his. That alone has seemingly swayed the oddsmakers, as Pyfer opened on BetMGM as the slight betting favorite.

Regardless of outside perceptions, though, the noise won't be anything Pyfer lets get to him.

"I don't really care about the odds," Pyfer said. "I think that's people sleeping on him because he's on a three-fight losing streak, but they're to the best guys in the world and the most active guys in the world. So you can't look too much into the odds. This is one of the best guys in the world. He was one of the longest defending middleweight champions in the world, aside from Anderson Silva. He's 'The Stylebender.' He did amazing things while he was the champion, and he carried himself like a champion, so I don't look into the odds.

"I think people know what I'm going to bring to him. That's damage. That's what I'm here to do: Cause damage."