RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – MAY 04: Steve Erceg of Australia prepares for his match against Alexandre Pantoja … (+)
Saturday’s UFC 305 pay-per-view card features a main event bout between UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis and two-time UFC division champion Israel Adesanya. Before that, the ESPN+ streaming fight card features a flyweight bout between Kai-Kara-France and recent UFC title challenger on the 125-pound division board, Steve Erceg.
Kara-France enters UFC 305 as the No. 4 fighter in the official UFC flyweight rankings, while Erceg is the No. 7 fighter in the 125-pound weight class.
The UFC 305 main event will air on ESPN+ PPV at 10 p.m. ET on August 17. Preliminaries will begin at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN, while early prelims will air at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+. The event will take place at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.
Below you will find a detailed insight into the Kara-France vs. Erceg match.
career
Kai Kara-France
LAS VEGAS, NV – JUNE 3: KaI Kara-France faces Amir Albazi in a 5-round fight at UFC Apex … (+)
Kai Kara-France (24-11-0-1) had a record of 17-7-0-1 when he was called up by the UFC in 2019. In his first fight with the organization, the New Zealander faced a short-notice opponent, Elias Garcia. The two earned Fight of the Night honors for their efforts, with Kara-France earning the decision victory.
Kara-France followed that win with two more victories on the judges’ scorecards. Then, in December 2019, he faced future champion Brandon Moreno in the early preliminary bouts of the UFC 245 pay-per-view card. Moreno won that fight by decision.
Kara-France went 1-1 in his next two fights. He then reeled off three straight wins between March 2021 and March 2022 to become the No. 2 ranked fighter in the division. His next fight pitted him against No. 1 ranked Moreno in the co-main event of UFC 277, with the interim UFC flyweight title at stake. Moreno won that fight by third-round TKO.
In his most recent fight, Kara-France lost to Amir Albazi in June 2023.
Kara-France was scheduled to face Manel Kape in September, but a concussion during training camp prevented Kara-France from competing in that fight, UFC 293.
Steve Erceg
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – MAY 04: Steve Erceg of Australia reacts after his loss to Alexandre … (+)
Steve Erceg (12-2) hasn’t been in the UFC for long. The fighter from Perth, Australia, has only four UFC fights under his belt, with his most recent appearance being a surprise title shot.
Erceg had a record of 9-1 when he made his UFC debut at UFC 289 in June 2023. Despite fighting in the early preliminary bouts of that card and failing to earn a win, Erceg received the Performance of the Night bonus for a unanimous decision victory that night over David Dvorak.
This win put Erceg in the top 15 of the UFC’s 125-pound division. In his next fight, Erceg faced Alessandro Costa in the “Featured Prelim” spot on the UFC 295 fight card. Erceg also won that night by unanimous decision.
Following his win over Costa, Erceg rose to No. 12 in the division. Erceg’s next fight was against Matt Schnell in March of this year. Erceg won that fight and his second Performance of the Night bonus with a second-round knockout of Schnell. The win put him in the top 10 in the division and, thanks to some booking quirks, earned him a shot at Pantoja’s title at the top of the UFC 301 fight card.
Erceg did well against Pantoja, but lost to the champion by decision in their May 2024 clash.
UFC 305: Kara-France vs. Erceg betting odds
When the UFC announced this fight, the initial betting odds for Kara-France were +172 and Erceg -205. Those odds have dropped as fight night approaches. Kara-France is currently at +135 and Erceg is -180.
Key statistics
Kara-France lands 4.57 significant strikes per minute with 39 percent accuracy. His defensive strike rate is 65 percent and he takes 3.24 significant strikes per minute. Kara-France lands 33 percent of his takedowns. His takedown rate is 0.63 per 15 minutes and his takedown defense is 88 percent.
Erceg is a more accurate striker, landing 49 percent of his punches, or 4.52 significant strikes per minute. His defense is 52 percent, and his opponents land an average of 4.20 strikes per minute. Erceg gets 1.24 takedowns per 15 minutes, with 26 percent accuracy. His takedown defense is 60 percent.
UFC 305 Prediction and Pick: Kara-France vs. Erceg
Expect a tough fight in this flyweight bout. Erceg is the better boxer and therefore a decision win is likely.
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