Tag: UFC 305

Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya: Odds and what to know ahead of UFC 305 title fight

The opening odds for the UFC 305 main event have Israel Adesanya favored to take the belt from rival Dricus Du Plessis.

[autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] will make his first middleweight title defense in a highly anticipated grudge match at UFC 305 with [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag], who looks to become a three-time champion in the division.

Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya preview

Du Plessis, No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie middleweight rankings, won the belt in a debated split decision over Sean Strickland at UFC 297 in January. The South African is undefeated inside the octagon, and will attempt to solidify his title reign with a first defense.

No. 3-ranked Adesanya ends his hiatus from MMA competition after 11 months. “The Last Stylebender” hasn’t seen action since September, where he lost the belt to Strickland at UFC 293 and saw his second run at titleholder come to an just five months after reclaiming it from Alex Pereira.

Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya odds

DraftKings released the odds for the bout, with the challenger Adesanya opening up as a slight -155 favorite over champion Du Plessis, who’s a +130 underdog.

How to watch Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya at UFC 305

  • When: Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024
  • Where: RAC Arena, Perth, Australia
  • Broadcast/streaming: ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+

[lawrence-related id=2736178,2747504,2747391]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 305.

Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya title grudge match headlines UFC 305 in Perth

Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya will have their long-awaited title fight in the main event of UFC 305 on Aug. 17 in Australia.

The highly anticipated title clash between [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] and [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] will serve as the main event for the UFC’s first show in Australia this year.

Du Plessis (21-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) will attempt to make his first middleweight title defense when he takes on two-time divisional champion Adesanya (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) in the UFC 305 headliner on Aug. 17 at RAC Arena in Perth (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).

After both fighters indicated it was a done deal on social media, UFC CEO Dana White said the main event was set on “The Jim Rome Show” on Monday.

First expected to take place at UFC 293 this past September, then again in the UFC 300 main event in April, the timing finally aligned for Du Plessis, No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie middleweight rankings, to step into the octagon with No. 3 Adesanya.

[lawrence-related id=2730117,2721499,2730094]

Du Plessis, 30, charged up the 185-pound division with multiple notable wins, including against Robert Whittaker, and was expected to challenge then-champ Adesanya this past fall. He didn’t take the fight at UFC 293 due to injury, though, which allowed Sean Strickland to step in and pull off a massive upset.

Strickland would go on to lose the belt to Du Plessis in a debated split decision at UFC 297 in January, and there was hope Du Plessis would make a quick turnaround for the monumental UFC 300 card. Injury once again prevented him from accepting, though, despite Adesanya claiming he was ready and willing to go.

Now there’s a date that worked for all sides, and Adesanya, 34, will attempt to once again reclaim the belt and join Randy Couture as the only fighters in UFC history with three separate title reigns in a single division.

Additionally, Du Plessis and Adesanya will get the chance to settle their feud, which truly began when Du Plessis made a polarizing remark about his pride in being the first fighter who lives and trains in Africa to hold a UFC belt.

The friction stemming from that comment has rippled through time, including when Du Plessis and Adesanya engaged in a heated in-cage staredown following Du Plessis’ win over Whittaker at UFC 290 in July 2023.

The latest UFC 305 lineup now includes:

  • Champ Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya – for middleweight title
  • Steve Erceg vs. Kai Kara-France
  • Tom Nolan vs. Alex Reyes
  • Tereza Bleda vs. Casey O’Neill

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=420030788]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 305.

Jack Della Maddalena rules himself out of UFC 305 after complications from arm surgery

Jack Della Maddalena won’t be able to compete at UFC 305 after having to undergo follow-up surgeries on his broken arm.

[autotag]Jack Della Maddalena[/autotag] won’t be able to compete at UFC 305.

Della Maddalena (17-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) was hoping to return Aug. 17 in his hometown of Perth, Australia, but complications following arm surgery will keep him out of action.

Della Maddalena broke his left forearm early in his come-from-behind knockout win over Gilbert Burns this past March at UFC 299, but he’s still recovering after suffering multiple infections that have caused him to go under the knife more than once. He publicly addressed the situation on Instagram.

“Had surgery on my arm 1 week after 299. 10 days later my wound had began splitting. Which was indicative of infection. Went in for surgery 2 as believed to be infection present, bone cleaned plate replaced, stayed in hospital for 9 days on IV antibiotics then moved to oral antibiotics. Thought the infection was under control, the wound itself had a couple of abscesses pop up over a 5 week period which had been cut and drained which had bacteria present. (Slide 3) abscess cut and wound was covered. (Slide 4) 27th May removed the covering to show a messy hole. Had a further surgery yesterday to remove infected tissue and unfortunately some infected bone. I am going to have a further surgery or two to remove further infected tissue over the next week.

“Unfortunately this means I won’t be competing at UFC 305 in Perth. Which is a tough pill to swallow. At the moment I am focused on recovery, Ridding my body of infection and allowing the bone to mend. planning to get my arm back to 100 percent which if all goes well will be in 12 weeks time. I am still motivated to compete before the years end in the fight I believe is the toughest and makes the most sense.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/C7im83StqqM/?img_index=1

Della Maddalena called out undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov after finishing Burns. The 27-year-old Aussie has earned five bonuses in his seven octagon wins.

[lawrence-related id=2729533,2725662,2722821]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 305.

Kai Kara-France eyes UFC 305 return: ‘Steve Erceg let’s settle it in Perth’

Kai Kara-France likes the idea of facing Steve Erceg next.

[autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag] likes the idea of facing [autotag]Steve Erceg[/autotag] next.

Erceg is fresh off a close title loss to flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja this past Saturday at UFC 301 in Rio. Kara-France hasn’t competed since suffering a close loss himself to Amir Albazi last June. He was scheduled to face Manel Kape at UFC 293, but withdrew due to concussion symptoms.

Kara-France (24-11 MMA, 7-4 UFC) initially targeted a rematch with Albazi (17-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC), who’s currently recovering from injury. He doesn’t think Albazi should be in the title conversation after edging him out in a fight he thought he won.

“I’ve seen Amir talking a lot about this title fight that just happened in the weekend saying it was boring. The champ’s telling people to stay in their seats while I’m doing my post-fight speech,” Kara-France told Sky Sports New Zealand.

“Then I messaged Amir on one of his posts saying, ‘Sweet, bro. You beat me once, so if you’re that confident, let’s run it back in Perth.’ But no reply, either, so I guess I don’t have an opponent there.”

With UFC 305 taking place Aug. 17 at RAC Arena in Perth, Erceg (12-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) is interested in fighting in his hometown. Kara-France is happy to oblige.

“If not, I feel like Steve would be a great dance partner – somewhere close to home,” Kara-France said. “He’s from Perth, so I know the hometown boy will get a lot of hype. Fans want to see him fight. He held his own against the champion and arguably won that fight. A few decisions, if he did differently, he probably would have had it in the bag.

“He showed a lot of skills that I was impressed. I even messaged him and said, ‘You should be proud of that performance.’ So there’s no animosity when it comes to Anzacs or guys from this side of the world. It’s just you’ve got to give props where it’s due. … To get to the title, you want to fight the guys that fought for the title. That’s the pathway. If he wants to get it, Steve Erceg: Let’s settle it in Perth.”

[lawrence-related id=2647486,2647263,2647109,2646356]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 305.

Ilia Topuria denies Joe Rogan’s claim he turned down Alexander Volkanovski rematch for UFC 305

Ilia Topuria rejects Joe Rogan’s notion that he turned down an offer to rematch Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 305 in Australia.

[autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] rejects the notion that he turned down a rematch with [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] at UFC 305 in Australia.

With the octagon headed back to Perth for a pay-per-view event on Aug. 18 and Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) not having a fight scheduled for his first featherweight title defense, longtime UFC commentator [autotag]Joe Rogan[/autotag] recently stated that a rematch with Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) was presented to the champion.

“I don’t know who he wants to fight next,” Rogan said during a conversation with Max Holloway on a recent episode of the “JRE MME Show” podcast. “But I guess he feels like he’s the champ, he can call the shots. I know that he turned down the Perth one – 305, the Volkanovski rematch.”

Topuria defeated Volkanovski by second-round knockout at UFC 298 in February to become 145-pound champion. Given Volkanovski’s resume during his stint on top, many, including himself, believed an immediate rematch was in order. But with Volkanovski taking a second consecutive knockout loss in the fight after being defeated by Islam Makhachev in October, there was a belief Volkanovski should take a long layoff, which opened the door for another contender.

Holloway charged through that door at UFC 300 when he knocked out Justin Gaethje in spectacular fashion to claim the BMF title, and all signs point to a showdown with Topuria, which Volkanovski said he thinks “Blessed” will win with ease.

Topuria clearly caught wind of these narratives, evident by the fact that he issued a response Wednesday on social media, sternly denying Rogan’s claim and poking fun at Volkanovski for his prediction of a Holloway fight (via X and Instagram):

https://www.instagram.com/p/C6bwmdgs1Fx/

Now it remains to be seen what comes next for Topuria. He’s insisted Holloway must put the BMF title on the line too when they meet for the featherweight strap and has once again emphasized it’s a non-negotiable term, otherwise he will push to defend against Brian Ortega instead.

Holloway was amused by Topuria’s latest comments, and issued a fiery reply (via X):

[lawrence-related id=2737459,2735967,2735139]

Robert Whittaker: Israel Adesanya fighting for a UFC title again ‘hurts me’

The possibility of Israel Adesanya becoming champion again doesn’t spell out good news for Robert Whittaker.

The possibility of [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] becoming champion again doesn’t spell out good news for [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag].

Middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis hinted in an Instagram post that he could be defending his title against Adesanya (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) at UFC 305 Aug. 17 at RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia.

“Looks like someone wants another beating in Aus..
I’m in, I also wouldn’t want to fight the king of Africa on home soil. Manifestations working good for you AGAIN!”

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5Q-BMlNnLH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading

Whittaker’s fight vs. Khamzat Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) June 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was declared a No. 1 contender bout by UFC CEO Dana White.

But considering that Whittaker (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) has already lost to Adesanya twice in title fights, “The Stylebender” becoming champion could harm his chances at another title shot.

“I think Adesanya fighting for a title again hurts me, but I understand,” Whittaker said on his MMArcade Podcast. “Dricus asked for it. He’s the champ, gets what he wants. Adesanya is a draw. Mate, it seems like the fight that was going to happen, in my opinion.”

If Adesanya is indeed next, he will look to rebound from his upset championship loss to Sean Strickland this past September at UFC 293. Whittaker broke down how he sees the former champion fairing against Du Plessis.

“It’s an interesting fight,” Whittaker said. “I can see Adesanya just piecing him up for five rounds. But in saying that, Dricus is tough as nails, and he’s awkward. I can also see Dricus just getting in there and just making it awkward, and taking him out of his rhythm.

“We saw when Adesanya fought Strickland, Strickland pushing that pace and moving into his space changed the rhythm of the fight. Adesanya didn’t adapt to that very well. I think if Dricus does the same, he might have the same sort of success.”

[lawrence-related id=2721701,2721499,2729886,2729715]

UFC announces multiyear deal for twice-annual events in Perth starting with UFC 305

The UFC is back in Perth for two events this year.

The UFC will be back back in Perth for two events this year.

UFC 305 will take place Aug. 17 at RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia, promotion officials announced Thursday. The second event will be a Fight Night at a date still to be determined.

“Perth, I am so excited to be coming back,” UFC CEO White said in the press release. “After a record-breaking event in 2023, I can’t wait to bring another massive pay-per-view to Western Australia. Perth is a world-class city with some of the most passionate fight fans I’ve ever seen – UFC 305 is going to be incredible!”

UFC 305 will mark the promotion’s third pay-per-view event. UFC 221, which took place in February 2018, was headlined by an interim middleweight title fight between Yoel Romero and Luke Rockhold. Romero won the fight by knockout, but wasn’t eligible to become champion after missing weight.

The UFC then returned to Perth in February 2023, when Australia’s own Alexander Volkanovski challenged lightweight champion Islam Makhachev for the title in the main event of UFC 284. Volkanovski fell short in a tightly contested battle.