On Sunday, 18th August, the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Australia for UFC 305 as the sold out RAC Arena in Perth will again host the octagonal canvas of the world’s premier brand of Mixed Martial Arts.
Despite price increases since UFC 284 in Perth last February, over 14,000 tickets were snapped up within 3 hours of public release, as Australia’s growing legion of fight fans again showed their dedication to the sport. Headlined by South Africa’s first ever UFC champion, Dricus Du Plessis defending his Middleweight crown against former 2-time champ of the division, Israel Adesanya, this card is full of heavy-hitters and potential stoppages.
The aforementioned main event is one of the more highly-anticipated fights in recent history and will capture the attention of purists who understand the potential excitement on the table when one of the world’s most celebrated precision strikers in Adesanya faces off with the unique and relentless pressure that DDP brings. However, it’s fans of the fight game’s backstage drama that may be the most intrigued. It was DDP’s comment that he wished to become the “first real African Champion” a little over a year ago that set then champion, the Nigerian born Adesanya, on a warpath leading to some choice words in the middle of the cage. Unfortunately injury prevented the fight from taking place but the stars have finally aligned with Du Plessis now holding the gold. The South African recently claimed that Adesanya no longer has the desire to fight at the highest level whereas Adesanya is no doubt determined to prove any naysayers wrong and build his legacy as one of the only 3-time champions in the organisation’s history.
The rest of the Australasian heavy card is indicative of the recent impact of the burgeoning local scene with promotions such as Eternal MMA & HEX FC acting as a launchpad for multiple homegrown talent who have gone on to sign the dotted line with the UFC. Speaking of which, many will be eagerly awaiting the flyweight co-main event between top contenders, Perth’s own Steve Erceg and Auckland’s Kai Kara-France.
Proving the ‘Astroboy’ tag true, former Eternal Flyweight Champ Steve Erceg rocketed himself up the UFC rankings quicker than any Aussie thus far, with a trio of opportune wins before losing a razor’s edge decision on foreign soil to UFC Flyweight Champion, Alexandre Pantoja. Kai Kara-France himself is no stranger to high stakes matchups as only two years ago he found himself in a very similar position to his upcoming opponent, losing a UFC Interim Flyweight Championship fight to Brandon Moreno. Whilst Erceg’s well-rounded skillset and calm demeanour have earnt him ample early praise from leading analysts, Kara-France’s ‘Don’t Blink’ moniker is a precious reminder that he’s always just one overhand right away from being back in the title conversation. For the winner of this matchup, a second-chance at a Championship fight becomes increasingly more real.
As fight night approaches, I look forward to covering all of the action in and out of the cage when UFC returns to the nation’s west this August.
UFC 305 Card (at time of writing):
Dricus Du Plessis(c) [RSA] vs. Israel Adesanya [NZL]
Steve Erceg [AUS] vs. Kai Kara-France [NZL]
Tai Tuivasa [AUS] vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik [SUR]
Junior Tafa [AUS] vs. Valter Walker [RUS]
Casey O’Neill [AUS] vs. Tereza Bleda [CZE]
Joshua Culibao [AUS] vs. Ricardo Ramos [BRA]
Jack Jenkins [AUS] vs. Gavin Tucker [CAN]
Tom Nolan [AUS] vs. Alex Reyes [USA]
Song Kenan [CHN] vs. Rick Glenn [USA]
Written by Andrew Baggio
https://www.patreon.com/WBW
