UFC 305 was dubbed as an amazing event inside the company and a fabulous night it was. The Saturday night at RAC Arena in Perth was one that many fans of MMA will remember forever. For some fighters, it will be a night they will try to leave behind.
The Main Event
UFC 305 was headlined by Du Plessis and Adesanya. The two fighters approached this fight from different angles. Dricus was looking to defend his title while The Last Stylebender was looking to get back on winning tracks. As is usually the case, title fights like these can only have one winner. Top-end fighters rarely end their bouts in draws.
Israel Adesanya is a big name in UFC and the world of mixed martial arts which can be seen through the amount of advertisements he does and the number of sponsors behind him. One of those that Adesanya represents all over the world is the betting outlet Stake. Adesanya exclusive interview with Stake was making rounds before the UFC 305 event and he talked about at the time an upcoming duel with Dricus Du Plessis. Now, we talk about the aftermath.
DDP vs. Adesanya – UFC 305 Aftermath
According to Stake UFC predictions, Dricus du Plessis was the hot favorite to win this one. Of course, the former champ Israel Adesanya was not without chances, but we all saw what happened. Adesanay appeared to be out of his depth while DDP finally looked like a true champion which he has proven inside the octagon.
It took him five rounds, but DDP managed to defend his title after managing to submit the former champion Israel Adesanya. While at moments appeared that The Last Stylebender would manage to make a comeback to the big stage, Dricus showed all the signs of a champion and managed to win a match that many saw him losing. Stake predictions had him as a slight favorite but by no means was Adesanya an underdog.
If you followed the match live, then you know that during the first two rounds of this bout, we had an even fight. During the third five minutes, Adesanya took control. Those who love to bet on UFC at Stake.com probably noticed that live odds had Adesanya coming out as a winner. Yet, the turnaround was in the cards and it finally happened in the fourth round. A direct shot at the head of Adesanya gave momentum to DDP which he fully took advantage of.
After that moment, the duel moved from standing to the ground. On the ground, the BBJ master from South Africa managed to move around Adesanya and submit him with a clear rear naked choke. As one could have expected the home crowd in Perth was behind the New Zealand fighter but they were silenced in the end. While everyone loves a swift comeback, and Adesanya would achieve that with this win, DDP has shown the marks of a champion and retained his title.
Israel Adesanya had a few chances to take back a belt he had held for so long, but after this defeat, there was no direct way for him to enter a title fight. We can’t see him fighting some minor names in the rankings, and thus stories about his imminent retirement have become louder, but as of now, he denied those claims. During his post-match speech, he decided to quote Leonardo Di Caprio and his Wolf of Wall Street character, Jordan Belfort, and screamed: ” I’m not f***ing leaving.”
Whether this was it for the former champion, remains to be seen, but as far as Dricus du Plessis is concerned he is making a name for himself to be on the Mount Rushmore of the middleweight category in the UFC. His resume speaks volumes and in his last four fights he managed to beat three former middleweight champions Robert Whittaker, Sean Strickland, and lastly Israel Adesanya.
DDP has a few more title defenses ahead of him, and many believe he will once again battle one of those three guys. The biggest challenge is going to be a duel against Alex Pereira if he decides to get back down to the lower divisions. As far as the rest of the UFC 305 card is concerned, below you have some of the more iterating bouts we witnessed.
UFC 305 Top Bouts
While Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya was a joy to watch, some of the other bouts deserve to be mentioned too. One of those fights that attracted the most attention from locals in Perth is the appearance of the home favorite Steve Erceg. Unfortunately for his fans and Erceg alike, Kai Kara-France managed to knock him out in the first round putting an end to the hype surrounding Steve in recent weeks.
While the flyweight duel had the eyes of the Perth public focused on them, lightweight brought out a match that lasted all three rounds. Dan Hooker managed to win by decision against Mateusz Gamrot after three rounds bringing his score to 24-12 and winning against the favored 24-2 at the time (24-3 now) Gamrot.
The locals were fully disappointed by this event after their joy in the aftermath was taken by Jairzinho Rozenstruik who took on local hero Tai Tuivasa with a decision win after three rounds. It was not a good night for folks representing Oceania as their top dogs lost one after another.
The welterweight division gave us an interesting duel between Li Jingliang and Carlos Prates, both of which aimed to rise through the ranks of the welterweight division after this bout. Prates will go in a happier man after a KO/TKO win in the second round bringing his score to 20-6.
What’s Next on The Calendar?
The next big thing on the schedule is the UFC 306: O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili. As you can see there’s plenty to look forward to, and the event dubbed as Riyadh Season Noche UFC will bring many more fights worth watching in addition to the main event. For all of you curious to know just some of the bouts are: Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko, Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes, Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Aori Qileng, and Irene Aldana vs. Norma Dumont. So, tighten your seatbelts, UFC is coming as strong as ever.
