UFC 305 delivered in a big, big way.
Looking at the card prior to the event, there were several contests that caught the eye of MMA fans as bouts that could potentially steal the show. Those in attendance in the RAC Arena, Perth, and those watching around the world, were treated to an exhilarating night of fights.
In the main event, Dricus Du Plessis successfully defending his Middleweight title against Isreal Adesanya with a fourth round submission.
After a close first round, the champion clearly established himself in the second but the challenger came back on strong in the third and the start of the fourth. Du Plessis then landed several huge shots which dropped Adesanya twice and at the second time of asking, the champion took his back, cinched in a choke and got the submission win.
You can see the Fighters Only Round by Round breakdown, here.
In the co-main event, Kai Kara-France put himself straight back into title contention with a first round knock out win against former Flyweight title challenger Steve Erceg.
After being backed up towards the fence with just over a minute left on the clock, Kara-France surged forward and after falling short with a big overhand right, the New Zealand man stepped through to connect with an even bigger overhand left, that immediately sent Erceg crashing to the mat.
The Australian managed to get back to his feet, albeit in a shaky manner, but Kara-France did not give him and inch and landed a right hand which once again sent Erceg to the floor and forced the referee to call time on the contest.
Dan Hooker and Mateusz Gamrot both earned an extra $50,000 for their Fight Of The Night. During fight week, Hooker had alluded to the fact that if anyone could entice Gamrot into a stand up war, it would be him, and that was the case as the two left everything in their during their three round contest. Both men were battered and bloody as they awaited the official score cards, and it was Hooker who had his hand raised via a razor close split decision.
Few saw the Heavyweight clash between Tai Tuivasa and Jairzinho Rozenstruik going to the judges score cards, but it did. The pair engaged in much more of a technical striking bout than fans were used to seeing them in. Rozenstruik managed to avoid any of the big shots that came from Tuivasa and outlanded 'Bam Bam' considerably. Rozenstruik claimed the split decision as Tuivasa dropped to 5 consecutive losses.
Carlos Prates opened the main card in style, with a second round knock out over Li Jingliang. Prates' striking accuracy was sublime throughout the bout and with 70 seconds on the clock in the second round, he clipped 'The Leech' with a stiff left hand, which was then followed up with with a 1-2, whilst Jingliang was backed against the cage. The second shot rendered Jingliang unconscious, immediately.
You can find the full UFC 305 results, below:
UFC 305: Du Plessis vs Adesanya Results
- Dricus Du Plessis defeats Israel Adesanya by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:38 of Round 4
- Kai Kara-France defeats Steve Erceg by TKO (strikes) at 4:04 of Round 1
- Dan Hooker defeats Mateusz Gamrot by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Jairzinho Rozenstruik defeats Tai Tuivasa by split decision (29-28, 27-30, 30-27)
- Carlos Prates defeats Li Jingliang by KO (left hand) at 4:02 of Round 2
- Valter Walker defeats Junior Tafa by technical submission (ankle lock) at 4:56 of Round 1
- Ricardo Ramos defeats Josh Culibao by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Casey O’Neill defeats Luana Santos by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
- Jack Jenkins defeats Herbert Burns by TKO (strikes) at 0:48 of Round 3
- Tom Nolan defeats Alex Reyes by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Song Kenan defeats Ricky Glenn by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 29-28)
- Jesus Aguilar defeats Stewart Nicoll by submission (guillotine choke) at 2:39 of Round 1
