The octagon returns to Australia this weekend as UFC 305 will emanate from RAC Arena in Perth. In addition to a middleweight championship headliner, some of the top fighters in the world will square off in some very exciting matchups.
The former middleweight champion will be looking to reclaim his title against the newly-crowned king of the class in what should be a thrilling striking showdown. Plus, flyweight contenders will meet with title implications on the line and two fan-favorite heavyweights will throw down.
Heavyweight bout: Tai Tuivasa vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Typically, we highlight the finale three fights of the night but every now and then there is a bout that demands the spotlight. This is one of those fights. We might see a rowdy crowd unlike we’ve ever seen when Tai Tuivasa makes his walk to the octagon in his home country. A knockout artist and crowd pleaser, Tuivasa enters this fight with a 14-7 record and 13 knockouts. That’s the good news. The bad news is, he is also coming in with a four-fight losing streak, during which he has been knocked out twice and submitted twice. There is no question Tuivasa can put anyone away in a blink, but with this many losses in a row, his back is up against the wall.
More bad news for Tuivasa is the fact that his opponent is Jairzinho Rozenstruik, who comes in with a very similar 14-5 record and 13 knockouts. Rozenstruik can also put anyone away with one shot and he has proven it again and again. He’s also coming off of a win and having been near the top of the heavyweight rankings in the past, he knows what it’s like to compete with the best of the best. This is going to be an absolute slugfest and I would not expect it to last very long.
My pick: Rozenstruik via 1st round knockout
Flyweight bout: Kai Kara-France vs. Steve Erceg
The flyweight division is loaded with talent and this is an interesting matchup between two former championship challengers. Kai Kara-France lost in his title opportunity against Brandon Moreno in 2022, but he still sports a 24-11 record with 11 knockouts. Kara-France is a very talented striker who poses a matchup problem for most of his opponents, but he is coming off of back-to-back losses. That puts him in a tough spot has he will desperately need a victory to keep his spot in the top five of the division.
Steve Erceg had a much more recent championship opportunity, as he is coming off of a loss to current champion Alexandre Pantoja back in May. Prior to that loss, he has won 11 in a row, including his first three UFC bouts. He now boasts a 12-2 record with six submissions, and perhaps more importantly, he looked like he belonged in that championship matchup. Erceg is very well rounded and poses some interesting stylistic problems for Kara-France. It will be interesting to see where he plans to take this fight.
My pick: Erceg via 3rd round submission
Middleweight Championship bout: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya
The middleweight championship has bounced around quite a bit in the past couple of years. After Israel Adesanya’s dominant streak was shockingly ended by Alex Pereira in 2022, Adesanya avenged his loss and recaptured the title just a few months later. Then, just a few months after that, he dropped the belt to Sean Strickland, who would then lose it to Dricus Du Plessis in January of this year. All caught up? Good, because now Adesanya is back to try and win the belt for a third time.
Adesanya’s aforementioned dominant streak as the middleweight champion saw him defeat the likes of Robert Whittaker, Yoel Romero, Paulo Costa, Marvin Vettori and Jared Cannonier. In other words, he beat the best of the best. Now, with his record standing at 24-3 with 16 knockouts, he will be looking to prove that he is still the very best. For all of his antics and showboatery, Adesanya is one of the best strikers the sport has ever seen. He’s nt a power puncher who is going to put people away in one shot, but he will overwhelm his opponents with volume and a wide array of strikes. In short, he is one of the most fun fighters to watch.
The same can be said for Du Plessis. The South African took the crown in a close split decision victory over Sean Stricklan in January. However, that was only the latest win in a streak of nine in a row for Du Plessis, who is now 21-2 with nine knockouts and 10 submissions. The champ has been very interesting to watch over the years, in that he has shown flaws that seemed to keep him from reaching that top tier of his class. However, every time he returns, he essentially completely erases that flaw, improving his game each and every time he steps into the octagon. It has all added up to championship gold for Du Plessis, but now the question is: can he hang on to that gold? This should be a very fun striking battle between two guys with very different, but very effective styles.
My pick: Adesanya via decision
UFC 305 will be held Saturday, August 17 at 10 PM ET. ESPN+ subscribers can order the pay per view for $79.99.