|
Fight By Fight Preview | UFC 305: Du Plessis vs Adesanya
Setting The Table For An Outstanding Night Of Action In Perth, Australia
By E. Spencer Kyte, on X: @SpencerKyte
For the second straight year and third time overall, the Octagon touches down in Perth, Australia on Saturday for an action-packed pay-per-view at RAC Arena.
Headlined by a middleweight championship grudge match between new titleholder Dricus Du Plessis and two-time former champ Israel Adesanya, and supported by a host of critical pairings across various divisions, UFC 305 promises to be an all-action affair that sends shockwaves through the rankings and leaves fans with plenty to talk about once the smoke clears following Saturday’s festivities.
As Fight Week gets underway, here is your opportunity to familiarize yourself with the men and women slated to make the walk this weekend and the particulars of each pairing that will grace the Octagon in Perth.
This is the UFC 305 Fight-By-Fight Preview.
Middleweight Championship Main Event: Dricus Du Plessis vs Israel Adesanya
More than a year after staring each other down in the Octagon and with the roles now reversed, Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya will finally meet for the UFC middleweight title this weekend.
Du Plessis claimed the title in January, earning a split decision win over Sean Strickland in a hard-fought, competitive battle that extended the South African’s record to 7-0 in the UFC and 21-2 overall. While questions will always linger about his unconventional movements and style, there is no questioning the results Du Plessis has delivered thus far, having bested divisional fixtures like Brad Tavares, Derek Brunson, and Robert Whittaker before dethroning Strickland at UFC 297 in Toronto.
Adesanya competes for the first time since losing the belt to Strickland last September in Sydney in an uncharacteristically flat effort. The 35-year-old has rebounded from previous losses in impressive fashion, most recently reclaiming the middleweight strap by knocking out Alex Pereira last April at UFC 287, so it will be fascinating to see how Adesanya responds here.
This is going to sound grandiose, but it feels like the future of the middleweight division hinges on this fight, at least for the time being.
If Du Plessis wins, it ushers in a new era at the top of the division, cementing the 30-year-old as the top man in the 185-pound ranks and opening the doors to a host of fresh matchups and possibilities. If Adesanya is victorious, he’ll become the first man to hold the middleweight title thrice, returning to a throne he first claimed nearly five years ago.
Other Main Card Matchups
Kai Kara-France vs Steve Erceg
Veteran contender Kai Kara-France returns to action opposite recent title challenger Steve Erceg in what promises to be an electric flyweight co-main event.
Kara-France parlayed three straight wins into an interim championship fight with Brandon Moreno two summers back at UFC 277 in Dallas, where he was felled by a body kick in the third round. He seemingly put himself right back into the championship mix a year later, only to land on the wrong side of a debated split decision result against Amir Albazi, and now finally makes his return to action here after battling injuries ever since.
A Perth native, Erceg rocketed into title contention in his rookie year on the UFC roster, earning three wins in as many starts to land opposite Alexandre Pantoja in the main event of UFC 301 back in May. Though he came up short, the 29-year-old showed in that fight that he is amongst the division’s elite and someone that will continue to factor in the championship discussions for the foreseeable future.
This is a tremendous pairing between two of the ANZAC region’s top talents, and one that carries clear title implications. A dominant effort for either man puts them on the short list of possible title challengers heading into the final quarter of 2024 and will help bring clarity to the top of the 125-pound rankings.
Mateusz Gamrot vs Dan Hooker
Lightweight standouts Mateusz Gamrot and Dan Hooker face off in a pairing of Top 15 talents in the middle of the weekend’s main card.
The 33-year-old Gamrot currently sits at No. 5 in the lightweight rankings, just behind No. 1 contender Arman Tsarukyan and the pack of veteran contenders that have all fought for gold in the last several years. Boasting a three-fight winning streak and 7-2 mark since transitioning to the UFC, Gamrot is an outstanding athlete with strong grappling and a deep gas tank, making him a nightmare matchup for anyone looking to contend in the 155-pound weight class.
Now 10 years into his time on the UFC roster, Hooker competes for the first time since his grueling battle with Jalin Turner last summer at UFC 290, where he landed on the happy side of a split decision verdict, but came away with a broken arm. The epitome of an all-action fighter, “The Hangman” is allergic to being in a boring fight, and will look to make things as grimy as possible when he steps in with Gamrot this weekend.
The lightweight division feels like it’s getting prepped for renovations and this will be a crucial matchup in that process, as there are several tenured veterans that have taken a step back in terms of last year. Though Gamrot and Hooker are both nearing their mid-30s, both would be fresh names in the title conversation if they can get there, and a strong performance on Saturday would carry them a good way towards achieving that goal.
Tai Tuivasa vs Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Big fellas that know they don’t get paid by the hour share the Octagon here as beloved Australian Tai Tuivasa takes on Jairzinho Rozenstruik in one of two UFC 305 heavyweight matchups.
Still just 31 years old, Tuivasa enters on a four-fight slide, with all of those setbacks coming inside the distance. His entire career has been a series of runs — three wins, followed by three losses, followed by five victories, and now four straight defeats — and he’s only been to the scorecards twice in that time, so one way or another, you know you’re getting to get something exciting whenever “Bam Bam” bops his way into the UFC cage.
Rozenstruik posted four wins in his rookie year back in 2019 to climb into the Top 10, but has struggled to find consistent results since, carrying a 4-5 mark over his last nine fights into this weekend’s clash with Tuivasa. He got back into the win column last time out by battering Shamil Gaziev to the point that he was unable to continue, and will look to collect back-to-back wins for the first time since his rookie campaign here.
There is a very strong likelihood that someone is going to sleep in this one, and the process of determining who that is should be wildly entertaining for as long as it lasts.
Li Jingliang vs Carlos Prates
The main card kicks off in the welterweight division, with Chinese veteran Li Jingliang returning to take on surging Brazilian Carlos Prates.
The longest tenured Chinese fighter on the UFC roster, “The Leech” is slated to compete for the first time since suffering a split decision loss to Daniel Rodriguez at UFC 279 just under two years ago. A mainstay in the rankings prior to his recent absence, Li brings a wealth of experience and different level of physicality to the Octagon than anyone the recent Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) has faced thus far.
Prates is one of several members of the DWCS Class of ’23 that has hit the ground running in 2024, having already registered a pair of stoppage wins to catapult himself up the welterweight ranks. The 30-year-old Fighting Nerds representative fights with a poise and confidence that is uncanny for someone this early into their UFC career, but with nine straight wins — the last eight of which have come by stoppage — it’s hard to question why Prates feels so at ease inside the cage.
Will Li make a triumphant return to action and halt Prates’ ascent, or will the Brazilian freshman post a third straight victory and take another step towards cracking the Top 15?
Preliminary Card Fights
Junior Tafa vs Valter Walker
Heavyweights close out the preliminary card action on Saturday as Junior Tafa faces off with Valter Walker in a battle of UFC younger siblings.
Tafa looks to rebound after filling in for his brother Justin on a day’s notice and losing to Marcos Rogério de Lima back in February. Walker, the younger brother of light heavyweight mainstay Johnny Walker, dropped his promotional debut in April, falling to Lukasz Brzeski by decision.
Josh Culibao vs Ricardo Ramos
Featherweights looking to get things moving in the right direction again meet here as Josh Culibao takes on Ricardo Ramos.
Culibao carried a four-fight unbeaten streak into last summer, but has since dropped consecutive contests, most recently landing on the unhappy side of a split decision verdict in March. An enigmatic talent, Ramos touches down in Perth having suffered back-to-back first-round submission losses by guillotine choke, dropping him to 7-5 in the UFC and 16-6 overall.
Casey O’Neill vs Luana Santos
Casey O’Neill and Luana Santos share the Octagon in a fascinating flyweight pairing midway through Saturday’s preliminary card slate.
O’Neill returns to her native Australia looking to halt a two-fight skid and return to the form that produced nine straight wins at the outset of her career and had her climbing towards contention through her first four UFC appearances. Santos steps in for Tereza Bleda, seeking her second win in roughly a month after rag-dolling Mariya Agapova in Denver to move to 3-0 in the UFC and 8-1 overall.
Jack Jenkins vs Herbert Burns
Jack Jenkins returns to action for the first time in nearly a year, squaring off with Brazilian veteran Herbert Burns.
A member of the DWCS Class of ’22, Jenkins earned a pair of victories to begin his UFC tenure, but then suffered an ugly arm injury in his UFC 293 bout with Chepe Mariscal last September that forced him to the sidelines. Burns ended a nearly two-year absence at the end of March, suffering a third straight stoppage loss to Julio Arce in Atlantic City.
Tom Nolan vs Alex Reyes
Australian prospect Tom Nolan makes his third straight of the year at UFC 305, welcoming Alex Reyes to his home country for a tussle.
“Big Train” looked sharp in his contract-winning effort last year on the Contender Series and then rebounded from losing his debut with a first-round finish of Victor Martinez in May. Reyes made his first start in six years last September at Noche UFC, losing to Charlie Campbell, and returns here searching for his first UFC victory.
Song Kenan vs Ricky Glenn
Veterans Song Kenan and Ricky Glenn clash in what should be an entertaining welterweight scrap early in the evening.
The 34-year-old Song enters having dropped three of his last four but remains a tough out and stern challenge for anyone looking to move forward at his expense. Glenn moves up to the 170-pound ranks following consecutive stoppage losses at lightweight, looking to garner his first victory since the summer of 2021.
Stewart Nicoll vs Jesus Aguilar
Flyweights get the night underway in Perth as unbeaten newcomer Stewart Nicoll takes on DWCS grad Jesus Aguilar.
Perfect through his first eight professional appearances, Nicoll makes his promotional debut on home soil, looking to build upon the stoppage victories he’s collected in each of his last four fights. Aguilar dropped his first appearance in the Octagon to rising star Tatsuro Taira, but has since earned consecutive victories, including a rapid knockout win over Australian veteran Shannon Ross.
_________________
So you wanna be a [bleeping] member? => Get access to the community <=
Looking for a seedbox? RuTorrent, qbitTorrent, Deluge and Transmission included in all packages! Unlimited torrents, unlimited transfers!
Perfect for both beginners and professionals. Watch the files directly in your browser without downloading or download to your device, up to you!
Really Fast 1 Gbit seedboxes - Professional support 24/7/365 - Click to learn more
To get a recurring 10% discount on all seedbox packages use the PROMO CODE: mmatorrents
|
UFC on ESPN 61 - Tybura vs. Spivac 2
