UFC 305 took place last night (Sat., Aug. 17, 2024) in Perth, Western Australia. It was a middleweight title fight that saw Dricus Du Plessis secure his first ever title defense by knocking out Israel Adesanya in the fourth round to retain his middleweight title (watch again here). In the co-headliner bout, Kai Kara France secured a first-round knockout win over Steve Erceg (watch here), while Dan Hooker picked up a big win by defeating Mateusz Gamrot in the main event.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25577424/2167221898.jpg)
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Winner: Driccus Du Plessis
Who he should face next: Sean Strickland
Before UFC 305, Dana White confirmed that Strickland would face the winner of Du Plessis vs. Adesanya – both would be rematches – so “Tarzan” had a vested interest in the fight. Strickland dropped his belt to du Plessis months after taking it from Adesanya and now he has a chance to make amends for himself. He was very upset that the decision did not go in his favor and claims he “never really lost the belt,” so now he has a chance to get it back. Unless, of course, that man comes in and crashes the party.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25577375/2167219215.jpg)
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Winner: Kai Kara-France
Who he should face next: Winner Taira vs. Royval
Kara-France is coming off a big knockout victory over former title challenger Steve Erceg, knocking him out with a bombastic right hand in the first round. The 125-pound fighter, ranked No. 4 in the world, ended his two-fight losing streak and now has a huge confidence boost. He won’t get a title shot, as that should go to Amir Albazi, who is on a six-fight winning streak, ranked No. 3 and just picked up a win himself over Kara-France. So we’ll have to wait and see how the upcoming fight between No. 1-ranked Brandon Royval and No. 5-ranked Tatsuro Taira on October 12th plays out. I’d like to see the winner face Kara-France in a title eliminator.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25577348/2167217916.jpg)
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Winner: Dan Hooker
Who he should face next: Justin Gaethje
Hooker put on one of his best performances after a year-long hiatus, defeating Mateusz Gamrot, currently ranked #5, by decision. He has now won three fights in a row and could be in the top 5 in a few days. That means a bigger fight is coming. He won’t get a title shot because that belongs to Arman Tsarukyan (#1), he won’t face Charles Oliveira (#2), and a rematch with Dustin Poirier (#4) is unlikely because no one knows if “The Diamond” will ever fight again. That leaves Gaethje (#3) as the only likely option. “Highlight” is coming off a memorable KO loss to Max Holloway in a “BMF” title fight, so a true championship fight is currently out of his reach. Given his loss, his ranking, and Hooker’s rise, this fight seems like a perfect fit.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25577315/2167215722.jpg)
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Winner: Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Who to face next: Marcin Tybura
Rozenstruik delivered a winning performance against Tai Tuivasa, handing “Bam Bam” his fifth straight loss after 15 minutes of fighting. What “Bigi Boy” could be next is perhaps a fight against Tybura. Sure, “Tybur” just lost to Serghei Spivac (see here), but he is currently ranked one spot above him. Additionally, if we look at the top 10, there is no one that makes sense right now, as four of his last losses have come to men in the top 6. Both Tybura and Rozenstruik are 3-2 in their last five fights, and their last wins came against Tuivasa.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25577319/2167214174.jpg)
Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images
Winner: Carlos Prates
Who he should face next: Muslim Salikhov
Prates picked up a big win by knocking out Li Jingliang with a beautiful left hook that knocked out “The Leach” in the second round and gave him his 10th straight win, third in the Octagon. He’s still a long way from a top-15 ranking, but he’s looked strong so far with nine straight knockouts. As for what’s next for him, a fight against Salikhov would be a great test given his experience in the Octagon. Salikhov – who lost to Jingliang – has been fighting for the promotion for seven years and is fresh off a big win over Santiago Ponzinibbio, who he defeated via split decision last month.
For full results, reports and highlights from UFC 305 click here HERE.
