Everything MMA fans need to know about UFC 305: Du Plessis vs Adesanya including the full fight card, stream details, venue and the story so far.
It’s time for the UFC to return ‘Down Under’ and the promotion is showing out in front of the raucous Aussie faithful with a fight card packed with local talent – headlined by a grudge match for the ages as the middleweight championship title gets put up for grabs.
UFC 305: Full card
As per the UFC website, the following fights have been confirmed for UFC 305 in Australia – bout order has not yet been confirmed.
- Dricus Du Plessis vs Israel Adesanya
- Kai Kara-France vs Steve Erceg
- Mateusz Gamrot vs Dan Hooker
- Tai Tuivasa vs Jairzinho Rozenstruik
- Li Jingliang vs Carlos Prates
- Junior Tafa vs Valter Walker
- Josh Culibao vs Ricardo Ramos
- Jack Jenkins vs Herbert Burns
- Casey O’Neill vs Tereza Bleda
- Tom Nolan vs Alex Reyes
- Song Kenan vs Ricky Glenn
- Stewart Nicoll vs Jesus Aguilar
UFC 305 fighters
UFC 305 will be headlined by the middleweight title fight between champion Dricus Du Plessis and former king Israel Adesanya in what should be a highly entertaining affair; both during Fight Week and in the octagon come Fight Night.
Du Plessis rides into UFC 305 on the back of a nine-fight winning streak, which includes finishes of Darren Till, Derek Brunson and Robert Whittaker; having earned the title from Sean Strickland earlier in the year in a classic back-and-forth brawl.
Adesanya meanwhile hasn’t fought since dropping the belt to Strickland back in September 2023 and will be chomping at the bit to step back in the octagon in the hope of once again, reclaiming his 185lb title.
Luckily, the championship fight is expected to get even spicier with the pre-fight press conference and media obligations, with the pair having a particularly bitter war of words at the recent faceoff.
Also on the main card is a New Zealand vs Australia clash that will certainly have fans picking a side as flyweight veteran Kai Kara-France takes on recent title challenger Steve Erceg.
Despite being widely considered to be one of the best flyweights on the planet, Kara-France is staring down the barrel of a third consecutive defeat in the octagon; whilst ‘Astroboy’ himself was thought by some to be unlucky not to have wrestled away the title from Alexandre Pantoja back at UFC 301.
From the small guys to the ‘bigi’ boys as Australia’s own Tai ‘Bam Bam’ Tuivasa looks to put a stop to his recent skid against a resurgent Jairzinho ‘Bigi boy’ Rozenstruik.
Following his viral knockout of Derrick Lewis back in 2022, Tuivasa has experienced a frustrating fall down the rankings with consecutive losses to Ciryl Gane, Sergei Pavlovich, Alexander Volkov, and Marcin Tybura.
Whilst Rozenstruik was recently on a skid of his own, the Surinamese powerhouse made a statement in his last fight as he halted the Shamil Gaziev hype train with a dominant win back in March.
Elsewhere on the card, fans can look forward to fights involving regional talent Junior Tafa, Tom Nolan, Jack Jenkins, and Josh Culibao – the global MMA community will also be delighted to see the return of ‘The Leech’ Li Jinliang as well; hopefully, he has a new suit picked out already.
One of the latest additions to the card was Polish wrestler Mateusz Gamrot against New Zealand’s own Dan Hooker, who recently celebrated 10 violent years in the promotion. Heading into the bout, Gamrot is riding a three-fight winning streak and is ranked #5, whilst Hooker has two wins in a row and is #11.
UFC 305 start time
UFC 305 is scheduled for Saturday, August 17.
According to the UFC website, the upcoming PPV main card will start from 7 PM PT/10 PM ET/3 AM BST.
In stark contrast to UFC 304 in Manchester, the main card will therefore start around 10 AM local time on Sunday, August 18.
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Where is UFC 305 taking place?
UFC 305 is scheduled to take place at the RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia.
The upcoming PPV will be only the third time that the RAC Arena has hosted a UFC event, having previously been the venue for UFC 221: Romero vs Rockhold in 2018 and UFC 284: Makhachev vs Volkanovski in 2023.
How to watch UFC 305
UFC 305 will be a PPV event, meaning that fans in the US will need to purchase the event via ESPN+ PPV.
The early prelims will be available via UFC Fight Pass, with the preliminary card also available through ESPN 2.
How to get tickets for UFC 305
Tickets for UFC 305 are available to purchase via the Ticketek platform, with prices listed from $368 – subject to availability.
UFC 305: Du Plessis vs Adesanya and the story so far
The following is an ongoing recap of the story so far surrounding UFC 305, including the key headlines and talking points heading into the PPV in Australia.
August 12: Israel Adesanya explains to Bloody Elbow how UFC 305 is ‘bigger than’ himself.
August 12: Middleweight contender Caio Borralho backs Adesanya to reclaim the title.
August 11: Video shows Dricus Du Plessis’ coach using a ‘stun baton’ on his fighters.
August 8: Israel Adesanya tells Bloody Elbow what the craziest story from his kickboxing career was.
August 7: Israel Adesanya reveals major lifestyle changes, claims UFC 305 is the first time that he’s ‘lived like a proper athlete’.
July 31: Dricus Du Plessis claims that Israel Adesanya no longer has the ‘hunger or fire’ to compete in UFC title fights.
July 15: Long-term rival Alex Pereira sends a heartfelt message of support to Adesanya, predicting that his former foe will recapture the middleweight title.
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July 15: Dan Hooker claims he was offered, and subsequently turned down, offers to main event a fight night card in favor of making his return at UFC 305 in Perth.
July 8: Dricus Du Plessis makes an argument that Adesanya should have retired after knocking out Alex Pereira in 2023.
July 3: Israel Adesanya slams the UFC for not offering Dan Hooker a fight on the card.
June 26: Robert Whittaker doubts he’ll be able to make the backup spot for UFC 305 due to needing double root canal after his fight vs Aliskerov in Saudi Arabia.
June 24: Daniel Cormier argues that given recent form, Israel Adesanya should be the underdog against Dricus Du Plessis.
June 22: Heavyweight contender Tai Tuivasa details preparation for UFC 305 return vs Rozenstruik.
June 12: Israel Adesanya reveals his motivation for making UFC return isn’t world title belts, it’s about silencing the doubters.
May 29: Australian fan favorite Jack Della Maddalena confirms he won’t be fighting on UFC 305 due to a post-surgery infection.
May 2: Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria deny rumors that the UFC were pushing for their featherweight title rematch to take place in Perth.
UFC 305: Du Plessis vs Adesanya goes down live from the RAC Arena on August 17.