Tag: UFC 305

Joe Rogan would ‘fly to the moon to commentate’ Alex Pereira vs. Dricus Du Plessis

The idea of Alex Pereira vs. Dricus Du Plessis has Joe Rogan salivating.

The idea of [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] has [autotag]Joe Rogan[/autotag] salivating.

Middleweight champion Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) was called out by Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) after he retained his title with a fourth-round submission of Israel Adesanya at UFC 305.

Du Plessis accepted light heavyweight champion Pereira’s callout – but at 205 pounds, not middleweight. Rogan had high praise for Du Plessis after his finish of Adesanya.

“(He’s) very awkward, no quit, big power, super durable, takes a great shot, amazing heart,” Rogan said of Du Plessis during his Fight Companion podcast. “I mean, he got pieced up. He rocked him (Adesanya). Those are big right hands. They caught him right in the side of the head and then he caught him with two in a row.

“You can’t count that guy out. Whenever you have these exchanges and you see these winging punches come Izzy’s way, anything can happen. When you’re tired and you’re not moving back as good as you were in the second and the first (rounds), sh*t happens. That’s a definitive victory.”

Rogan was especially impressed with the fashion that Du Plessis defeated Adesanya. Prior to getting submitted by Du Plessis, Adesanya had only been finished once in his career – a TKO loss to Pereira.

“He finished Izzy with a rear-naked choke,” Rogan said. “Nobody’s finished Izzy like that in a fight ever in the UFC. No one’s submitted him like that. That’s a crazy victory.”

Rogan thinks Du Plessis is a big middleweight and could handle moving up a division. He isn’t sure how he’d handle Pereira’s power though.

“He could definitely go to 205,” Rogan said. “Wouldn’t you love to see him try? He can take a shot, for sure. But can you take a shot from that guy (Pereira)? Can you take a shot from that guy at 205? Because that guy at 205 puts everybody night-night. Everybody goes night-night.”

Rogan hasn’t called a pay-per-view outside of the U.S. in years, but says he would make an exception for Pereira vs. Du Plessis.

“If Dricus goes up to 205 and fights Alex, oh my goodness,” Rogan said. “I’ll fly to the moon to commentate that fight. I want to see that fight. That’s crazy.”

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

Sean Strickland has an unpopular opinion: ‘I just don’t think Israel Adesanya is that good’

Sean Strickland suggests Israel Adesanya is overrated.

[autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] suggests [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] is overrated.

Strickland (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC) dethroned Adesanya to claim the middleweight title in a big upset win at UFC 293. He then lost his belt at UFC 297 to Dricus Du Plessis, who submitted Adesanya in Saturday’s UFC 305 headliner in Perth.

Adesanya (24-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) now finds himself in unfamiliar waters after having lost three of his past four, and Strickland says he was never sold on “The Stylebender.” He referenced his war with Kelvin Gastelum in 2018 as one of the indicators.

“I have an unpopular opinion. You guys aren’t going to like it. I just don’t think Izzy’s that good,” Strickland said on the “Verse Us with Eric Nicksick” podcast. “So when he fought Kelvin – and I think Kelvin sucks – everyone is like, ‘Oh, Izzy is this and that.’ Dude, I’ve sparred Kelvin so many times.

“I’m like, ‘You kind of had a close fight with Kelvin. You’re not that f*cking good.’ Like, you’re not that f*cking good. You fought f*cking (Paulo) Costa, and Costa was scared sh*tless of you. You f*cking blew on him, he fell sleep. Izzy is just not that f*cking good.”

Adesanya’s past 12 appearances have been title fights, but the likes of Michael Bisping think his championship days are likely over. Strickland rebounded from his loss to Du Plessis with a win over Costa at UFC 302. He hopes to get the opportunity to rematch Du Plessis next after dropping a close decision loss to him.

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

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Aug. 20: Dricus Du Plessis climbs P4P list

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC 305 in Perth, Australia.

Following UFC 305, the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings required updating.

In the main event at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, middleweight champ [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] denied Israel Adesanya’s attempt at reclaiming gold. The fight was a competitive one, but Du Plessis found a path to a rear-naked choke submission in Round 4.

Already at No. 1 in the divisional rankings, Du Plessis moved up on the pound-for-pound list from No. 9 to No. 7.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.

Video: Michael Page was beside himself watching Israel Adesanya in UFC 305 loss to Dricus Du Plessis

Do you ever just wish you could jump through the TV and knock some sense into somebody? That was MVP watching Israel Adesanya at UFC 305.

Do you ever just wish you could jump through the TV and knock some sense into somebody? “Stop doing that!” That was [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] this past weekend as he watched his friend, [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag], stumble against Dricus Du Plessis.

While Adesanya had his moments against Du Plessis in the UFC 305 main event, he ultimately fell short of reclaiming the middleweight title after Du Plessis scored the submission win in Round 4. Up until then, the fight was relatively close. However, at least to Page, Adesanya kept making the same mistake over and over and over again with his footwork, which had MVP beside himself in frustration.

Check out his reaction in real time in the video below (via X):

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

Michael Bisping: Israel Adesanya’s UFC championship days ‘more than likely’ over

Michael Bisping doesn’t expect to see Israel Adesanya in the UFC title picture again.

[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] doesn’t expect to see [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] in the UFC title picture again.

Although Bisping thought Adesanya (24-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) looked good in his submission loss to middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis on Saturday at UFC 305, he doesn’t think he’ll be competing in anymore championship fights. Adesanya’s past 12 appearances have been UFC title bouts, but he has now lost three of his past four.

“He looked great, he had moments of brilliance, certainly in Round 3 when he was piecing Dricus Du Plessis up on the feet,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “Ripping to the body, beautiful shots delivered with perfect technique, but ultimately he lost the fight. We’ve got to ask the question: Is Izzy done? Are his championship days over? Because the answer to that one is more than likely probably.

“It’s a tough reality. Fight sports is a b*tch. They don’t care. Israel Adesanya had moments of brilliance. He looked really good and looked to be in great shape. He had a bit more muscle on him. He took this fight seriously. He went out there and got beat. The last one, he got beat against Sean Strickland. Two fights before that, he lost to Alex Pereira.”

Bisping pointed at a few examples of fighters that fought past their prime like Chuck Liddell, Tony Ferguson, and B.J. Penn. He still thinks Adesanya has it but hopes “The Last Stylebender” doesn’t wind up doing the same by prolonging his career.

“When you look at the history, when you look at the track record, Israel Adesanya has now lost three out of his last four fights,” Bisping added. “That is a far cry from the championship run that he went on where he was stopping everybody, defending the belt in 12 consecutive title fights. That’s an insane amount of pressure, stress on the body.

“Physically and mentally, a big burden to carry. Five-round training camps, one after the other. … But is the career coming to a close for Isreal Adesanya? Yeah probably because you only have one peak; you don’t have two. That’s why it’s called the peak. And when you look throughout combat sports history, it’s what always happens.”

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

Daniel Cormier: Sean Strickland ‘shouldn’t feel so good’ about Dana White naming him No. 1 contender

Daniel Cormier heard something in Dana White’s voice that has him casting doubt about Sean Strickland receiving the next title shot.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] is casting doubt about [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] receiving the next UFC middleweight title shot.

Prior to champion Dricus Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) retaining his title with a fourth-round submission of Israel Adesanya (24-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 305 headliner, Dana White said Strickland deserves the winner. But with Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev taking place Oct. 26 at UFC 308, Cormier sees the winner of that fight potentially leapfrogging Strickland (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC).

“I think the worry for Sean Strickland is he beat Paulo Costa; Robert Whittaker has also beaten Paulo Costa,” Cormier said on “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Chael Sonnen. “He’s also beaten (Ikram) Aliskerov. If he puts Chimaev behind him, I know he already lost to the champion, but it would make a very compelling argument that he should be next. He (Du Plessis) wants Robert Whittaker to win. He needs Robert Whittaker to win. …

“If Khamzat wins, now you’ve got something to worry about. Truly worry, because now you’ve got this undefeated guy, who for so many years now, we thought it was only a matter of time before he became a world champion. … Khamzat immediately looked like a guy who would be a champion, you could see it, and that would make me concerned if I’m Sean Strickland.”

Cormier didn’t hear too much conviction in White’s voice when dubbing Strickland as the No. 1 contender.

“He shouldn’t feel so good,” Cormier said. “Because when Dana speaks, he might go, ‘This guy’s next, this is who we have.’ But there’s a tone to his voice that makes you believe that what he’s telling you is certain. I didn’t hear that tone. I didn’t hear that for-sure tone that Sean Strickland (is next).

“He said it, yeah. ‘Well, we’ve got Sean Strickland. He’s the next guy in line.’ But when he is certain, it’s Sean Strickland vs. the winner of this fight, it doesn’t matter what happens down the line, he will tell you right to your face what’s happening. I don’t feel like we got that with Strickland, so I do believe that there’s room for Chimaev to work his way in there.”

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

Israel Adesanya thought Dricus Du Plessis was done in Round 4, credits champ for being ‘stubborn’ at UFC 305

Just before he was finished, Israel Adesanya thought he had Dricus Du Plessis right where he wanted him. “I was like, ‘He’s done.'”

[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] thought he had [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] right where he wanted him at UFC 305.

Adesanya (24-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) was submitted by middleweight champion Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 305 headliner in Perth, Australia. It was a back-and-forth fight up until Round 4, when Adesanya felt like the tide was shifting his way. However, Du Plessis was able to lunge forward with a combination before dragging Adesanya down and tapping him out with a rear-naked choke.

“He’s tough. He’s stubborn. That is what it is,” Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. “Even if he’s tired, which one was it, I sprawled on him. Was it Round 4? Beginning of Round 4, I hit him with one of the meanest sprawls because he just shot, and I just put his face into the mat, and boom, I tried to kick his body and then told him to get up. (Referee) Marc (Goddard) was like, ‘Get up,’ and he laid there on the ground and took a breath, and I was like, ‘He is done.’ So I try to go for him.

“Even at that moment, he still swung at me, so I was like, ‘F*ck.’ That stopped my momentum right there. He’s stubborn. most guys wouldn’t be able to do that while they’re that tired, but he’s going to throw anyway because it’s like, ‘I need to stop his momentum.’ So he’ll throw. Even if he misses, at least he stops me in my tracks, so I have to reset and then come at him again. It gives him a little breathing space for about a second or two.”

Adesanya is unsure what’s next or when he’ll return but appears to be in good spirits.

“I don’t know, but enjoy me while I’m here, man,” Adesanya said. “Enjoy me while I fight. I started watching the fight, and I was literally like, ‘F*ck, I could go again’ (laughs). I could go again. I still feel good, I could fight this weekend. But like, eh, we’ll see. I just want to get back to the gym, get training again and then we’ll reset, regroup. Yeah, we’ll see.”

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

Jack Jenkins reveals Sean Shelby’s reaction to his callout at UFC 305

Jack Jenkins had a specific callout after his win over Herbert Burns, and it makes sense. But he’s pretty sure it won’t happen.

PERTH, Australia – [autotag]Jack Jenkins[/autotag] beat Herbert Burns with a second-round TKO Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 305 at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

Take a look inside the fight with Jenkins, who overwhelmed Burns early in the third round after damaging his leg through the first two rounds of the fight.

Jenkins originally was supposed to fight Gavin Tucker at UFC 305, but Tucker pulled out. So Jenkins called for the fight in Edmonton – since Tucker is Canadian, and Jenkins has ties to the city, as well. But despite the logic, he said the UFC matchmakers might have other plans for him.

Check out Jenkins’ full post-fight interview above.

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

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Carlos Prates wants Khaos Williams next: ‘Nothing personal against him, just business’

Carlos Prates calls out Khaos Williams following his brutal KO of Li Jingliang at Saturday’s UFC 305.

PERTH, Australia – [autotag]Carlos Prates[/autotag] wants to make the matchmakers’ job easier, so he’s got a suggestion for his next outing.

Following an impressive KO win at UFC 305, Prates (20-6 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has set his sight on [autotag]Khaos Williams[/autotag] for a welterweight clash before year’s end. The Brazilian striker thinks this matchup lends itself for a show and maybe even a Performance of the Night bonus.

“I think he’s a good opponent, a good striker,” Prates said at the UFC 305 post-fight press conference. “And to be honest, I almost buy my own house in Brazil, so if I don’t get the bonus today, for sure if I fight him, maybe in December, I will get the bonuses. Nothing against him, nothing personal against him, just business, and it is what it is.”

Williams issued a response to the callout on X, and it sounded like he was in the idea.

Prates did end up getting a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus for his brutal knockout of Li Jingliang. Although he became the first man to knock out Jingliang (19-9 MMA, 11-7 UFC), Prates is hesitant to call it his best career performance.

“I’ve had before really good performances,” Prates said. “I think last fight was a really good performance. I don’t know, but I really like this one because this was a really good opponent. He’s a really tough opponent and a good striker, so yeah, I’m happy, but I don’t know if this was the best performance of my career.”

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

If Australia needs a new Olympic breakdancing rep, Casey O’Neill can take aim at Raygun

Casey O’Neill offered to be the next Olympic breakdancing representative for Australia after her UFC 305 win over Luana Santos.

PERTH, Australia – [autotag]Casey O’Neill[/autotag] beat Luana Santos with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 305 at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

Take a look inside the fight with O’Neill, who got back in the win column after a two-fight skid – and offered to be the next Olympic breakdancing representative for Australia.

Casey O’Neill def. Luana Santos

Result: Casey O’Neill def. Luana Santos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)<
Updated records: O’Neill (10-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC), Santos (8-2 MMA, 3-3 UFC)
Key stats: O’Neill more than doubled up on Santos in the striking department, 113-46.

O’Neill on the fight’s key moment

Australia’s Casey O’Neill (in black) and Brazil’s Luana Santos fight in their women’s flyweight division event of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 305 at the Perth Arena in Perth on August 18, 2024. (Photo by COLIN MURTY / AFP) / — IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE — (Photo by COLIN MURTY/AFP via Getty Images)

“I felt really good in there today. I felt calm. I felt like I belonged, and I was a little scared that it was such a long layoff. I think maybe that’s why I thought a little hesitantly, but I thought I fought really good. I got the win. That’s all that matters.”

O’Neill on her post-fight breakdancing moves compared to Australian rep Raygun

“I give that a try and I think I did better than she did in the Olympics. I think if they do bring it back for 2028, I might need to take an MMA hiatus and go get a gold medal.”

O’Neill on what she wants next

Casey O’Neill

“I’m going to have to talk to everybody, but no longer than three months off. I can’t be doing really big layoffs again. I want to stay active. I want to take a look at the top 15 and see who’s not booked. I want to fight someone in the top 15, and I know that two or three top-25 fights got booked this week, so I’ve got to go and see who’s not fighting.”

To hear more from O’Neill, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

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

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