The bout between Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya has been set as the UFC 305 main event live from RAC Arena in Perth, Australia on August 17 (ET). The contest pits the reigning middleweight champion of South Africa against the former titleholder of New Zealand by way of Nigeria.
The pair was originally expected to battle it out at UFC 293 last September. Champion at that time Adesanya and Du Plessis went face to face after the latter’s victory over New Zealand-Australian former middleweight titleholder Robert Whittaker (25-7) at UFC 290 last July.
The fight didn’t go ahead after Du Plessis withdrew due to injury. Adesanya fought Sean Strickland (29-6) of Anaheim, California and lost the fight, as well as the belt, by unanimous decision.
Dricus Du Plessis (21-2) returned in January at UFC 297 and took a split decision against Strickland to become a new champion. Riding a nine-fight winning streak, the 30-year-old native of Welkom, South Africa makes the first defense of his title.
Fighting in the main event of UFC 305, Israel Adesanya (24-3) competes in Perth for the second time. The native of Lagos, Nigeria made his UFC Octagon debut in February 2018 at the promotion’s first event in the capital of Western Australia. Battling it out at UFC 221, the Auckland, New Zealand-based 34-year-old stopped Rob Wilkinson in the second round.
The outing marks Adesanya’s first fight since the defeat against Strickland. The No. 2-ranked middleweight contender makes his first attempt to become a three-time UFC 185-pound champion.
Du Plessis beat the man [Strickland], who beat the man [Adesanya]. If the latter comes out on top, he would potentially be looking to take revenge on Strickland.
Strickland, meanwhile, is fresh off the win by split decision against Paulo Costa of Brazil at UFC 302 in June. In his post-fight interview, the 33-year-old former champion called for a title shot. He would potentially be looking to take revenge on Du Plessis or once again face Adesanya.
The Du Plessis vs Adesanya showdown was announced by the latter via post on X. The promotion is yet to formally confirm the fight as the UFC 305 main event.
In addition, a flyweight matchup between No. 4 Kai Kara-France (24-11, 1 NC) of New Zealand and No. 9 and recent title challenger Steve Erceg (12-2) of Australia has been rumoured for the event.
The current lineup looks as the following:
- Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya, middleweight – du Plessis’ UFC middleweight title
- Tom Nolan vs. Alex Reyes, lightweight
- Casey O’Neill vs. Tereza Bleda, women’s flyweight
- Kai Kara-France vs. Steve Erceg, flyweight (TBC)
The local UFC 305 date in Australia is Sunday, August 18.
