This letter proposes a situation-adaptive detection algorithm for the improved efficiency of the detection performance and complexity in the MIMO-OFDM system. The proposed algorithm adaptively uses the QRD-M, DFE, and iterative detection scheme in according to the detection environment. Especially, the proposed algorithm effectively reduces the occurrence probability of error in the successive interference cancellation procedure by the unit of the spatial stream. The simulations demonstrate that the adaptive detection method using the proposed algorithm provides a better trade-off between detection performance and complexity in the MIMO-OFDM system.