Israel Adesanya’s coach says he’s ‘ready to go’ for a middleweight title shot against du Plessis as UFC 305 is confirmed for Perth, Western Australia.
With the MMA world leader set to return to Australia later this summer, many fans are expecting the PPV to be headlined by Dricus du Plessis defending his middleweight title against Israel Adesanya – that appears to be the plan of action for the team behind ‘The Last Stylebender’ too.
UFC 305 confirmed for August and Perth, Australia
Whilst many of the headlines today have been dominated by Dana White’s announcement of a stacked UFC on ABC card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the UFC also confirmed that they would be returning to Australia in the summer.
UFC 305 will now take place from the RAC Arena in Perth on Saturday, August 17.
It will be the UFC’s third time in Perth, having previously hosted UFC 221: Romero vs Rockhold in 2018 and UFC 284: Makhachev vs Volkanovski in 2023.
Israel Adesanya vs Dricus du Plessis rumored to headline UFC 305
Almost as soon as the UFC 305 was confirmed for Perth, fans began speculating on whether Israel Adesanya would be headlining the card against long-term rival Dricus du Plessis.
Speaking to the New Zealand Herald, Adesanya’s coach Eugene Bareman didn’t openly confirm that ‘The Last Stylebender’ was in for UFC 305, but instead teased that his athlete is “ready to go” as he expects their next fight to be for the world championship:
“Israel will be fighting for the title next. The date, I’m not sure. Give us a date and we’ll take it. We’re sitting ready to go.”
“Israel’s pretty adamant that he has to fight for the title, it’s not up to Du Plessis,” said Bareman, who admitted that “If that was the case, I wish Israel as a champion had those sorts of choices – the truth is, he probably didn’t.”
The New Zealand Herald, one of the largest media outlets in the Oceania region, also claimed that they understood via inside sources that “the promotion will explore booking Adesanya’s bid to become a three-time middleweight champion at the top of the bill.”
“While there have been no talks about that as it stands, the Herald understands Adesanya’s team shares the UFC’s interest in booking the fight for Perth,” wrote journalist Christopher Reive.
Australia’s own Robert Whittaker would need a quick turnaround
Whilst the Perth PPV will likely be stacked with local and regional talent, one man who probably won’t be on the card is Robert Whittaker, who was ‘shocked’ to be confirmed for the main event of the Saudi Arabia card.
That card is scheduled for June 22, only eight weeks before the UFC touches down in Perth, with the following fights confirmed:
- Robert Whittaker vs Khamzat Chimaev
- Sergei Pavlovich vs Alexander Volkov
- Kelvin Gastelum vs Daniel Rodriguez
- Johnny Walker vs Volkan Oezdemir
- Sharabutdin Magomedov vs Ihor Potieria
- Nasrat Haqparast vs Jared Gordon
UFC 305 goes down from down under on August 17, 2024.