The reigning middleweight champion proved he has some staying power in the main event from Australia
• 2 min read
Australia got a treat of a card for UFC’s return to Perth this weekend. The promotion delivered an epic PPV main card with Dricus du Plessis managing to retain his middleweight title against Israel Adesanya in a brilliant back-and-forth affair.
Du Plessis, the South African native, absorbed heavy damage from the former champion Adesanya, who was making his return to action after nearly a year away. Adesanya appeared close to dropping du Plessis, just as the champion managed to return fire and take Adesanya’s back before locking in the rear-naked choke.
The undercard saw some tremendous action. Kai Kara-France returned from his own layoff to score a stunning first-round knockout of Steve Erceg at flyweight. Kara-France, who challenged for the interim title in 2023, pushed his name right back to the top of the contender’s list after the win over Erceg, who was coming off a competitive decision loss to Alexandre Pantoja for the full title in May. Plus, Dan Hooker turned back the clock to score a massive upset over Mateusz Gamrot. Hooker, who had also been out of action for over a year, ran his win streak to three with the split-decision effort in which he dropped the rising contender multiple times. And rising prospect Carlos Prates should what a massive talent he could be with a stunning knockout of Li Jingliang to open the PPV. It was the first time in Jingliang’s long career that he had been knocked out.
CBS Sports was with you throughout fight week with the latest news, in-depth features and betting advice to consider. Thanks for stopping by and we’ll see you at UFC 306 at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
UFC 305 fight card, results
- Dricus du Plessis (c) def. Israel Adesanya via fourth-round submission (rear-naked choke)
- Kai Kara-France def. Steve Erceg via first-round knockout (punch)
- Dan Hooker def. Mateusz Gamrot via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Jairzinho Rozenstruik def. Tai Tuivasa via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 30-27)
- Carlos Prates def. Li Jingliang via second-round knockout (punch)
- Valter Walker def. Junior Tafa via first-round submission (heel hook)
- Ricardo Ramos def. Josh Culibao via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Casey O’Neill def. Luana Santos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
- Jack Jenkins def. Herbert Burns via third-round TKO (calf kicks)
- Tom Nolan def. Alex Reyes via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Song Kenan def. Ricky Glenn via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-26)
- Jesus Aguilar def. Stewart Nicoll via first-round submission (guillotine choke)
UFC 305 countdown
- Staff predictions and expert picks for the main card
- Brookhouse: Best bets to consider on the main card
- Du Plessis claims Adesanya’s anger stems from how bad he beat Whittaker
- Mahjouri: Undercard fights worth paying attention to this weekend
- Campbell: Biggest storylines to watch in Perth
