UFC 305
Review
Title defense against South Africa and a spectacular main card characterize UFC 305 in Perth
Dricus Du Plessis silences critics
Great fight for gold in the middleweight division
The evening's main event featured the first African duel for a UFC title. Even before the fight, it was clear that Dricus du Plessis (C) and Israel Adesanya were probably not the best of friends. The fight was therefore very tense. Adesanya made his return and was considered the slight favorite.
Each of the first three rounds was close and evenly matched, with both fighters having their moments as they traded blows. Throughout the fight, it was unclear who would come out on top in a potential decision. After Adesanya appeared to build some momentum in the third and early parts of the fourth, Dricus Du Plessis landed a left that visibly hurt Adesanya. He followed up, landing him with a few more left hooks before taking him down, climbing onto his back, and quickly applying the choke. Adesanya tapped out, a title defense for the South African, who silenced many of his critics with this performance. He is now 8-0 in the UFC and remains undisputed at the top of the 185-pound division.
Kai Kara France & Hangman with an exclamation mark
Flyweight Knockout and other main card winners
Kai Kara-France returned to the Octagon and secured a spot in the flyweight title conversation with an impressive first-round knockout victory over Steve Erceg. Erceg had been performing well up to that point, choosing his attacks carefully, but when the City Kickboxer landed with a powerful left, the recent title contender landed, and from then on, "Don't Blink" was unstoppable. He also received the Performance of the Night bonus.
Dan Hooker also counted himself as a big winner of the evening. The Hangman secured a decision victory over #5 lightweight Mateusz Gamrot and earned the Fight of the Night award.
Other victors were Jairzinho Rozenstruik against fan favorite Tai Tuivasa (split decision) and Carlos Prates against Li Jingliang, who also won the Performance of the Night check of 50,000 US dollars with a spectacular first-round knockout.