Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya are set to clash Saturday (10 p.m. ET, ESPN+ PPV) in a high-stakes battle for the UFC middleweight title at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia. Du Plessis, the newly crowned champion, still faces skepticism despite his unbeaten record in the UFC.
Many view Adesanya, the division’s former dominant force, as the rightful top dog. For Adesanya, this fight is about reclaiming his title and proving his loss to Sean Strickland was a fluke. Du Plessis, on the other hand, seeks to solidify his legitimacy as champion by defeating Adesanya, silencing the doubters once and for all.
Follow all of the action going down in Perth with our live tracker below.
UFC 305 live tracker
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Next up: Tai Tuivasa (+200) vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (-250) at heavyweight
Who they are: Just a couple of big boys here to throw leather and give the fans something to shout about. Tuivasa is an Australian crowd favorite and basically a required addition to any UFC card on the continent. Rozenstruik is also a heavyweight banger who is similarly unskilled and uninterested in most other areas of mixed martial arts.
Why it matters: Tuivasa has lost four straight and is hanging on by virtue of being fun, beloved and big. The UFC doesn’t like to cut heavyweights who people actually care about since there are so few of them and other promotions could always use them. Still, he needs a win. Rozenstruik will probably oblige him with a brawl on the feet. Then it’s a question of who lands first.
RESULT: Carlos Prates def. Li Jingliang by KO (punch) at 4:02 of R2
Carlos Prates just became the first man in 28 fights to knock out Jingliang Li. #UFC305
The Brazilian landed several heavy shots and the fight could’ve been called even before Prates landed the finishing left hook that put Li to sleep. Incredible sequence and incredible performance for Prates.
Li and Prates are in a war with Prates coming out on top in the first round. Prates’ counterstrikes hurt Li several times and dropped him twice. But “The Leech” is tough and bounced back up after three different knockdowns.
Next up: Li Jingliang (+300) vs. Carlos Prates (-375) at welterweight
Who they are: For a time there “The Leech” seemed like he might turn into China’s hottest MMA prospect. Lately he’s been on the win one/lose one trend, which is never great, though he also hasn’t had many easy matchups over the last five years. Prates is a new face at welterweight who’s been blazing through opponents since he showed up on “Dana White’s Contender Series” last year. He’s always looking to finish and hasn’t seen the scorecards in a fight in nearly five years.
Why it matters: Prates is looking more like the future, while Jingliang has started to seem like the past. There’s no doubt about Jingliang’s toughness, so it won’t be an easy night of work, but if Prates is who the UFC thinks he might be then this is a chance to prove it and nail a new pelt to the wall.
UFC 305 main card starts now!
Keep it locked right here for live updates from the entire pay-per-view going down at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.
Valter Walker wins via heel hook, threatens to annihilate the entire genetic line of the Tafa clan. Pretty normal night in MMA, really.
RESULT: Valter Walker def. Junior Tafa by submission (heel hook) at 4:56 of R1
Unified rules: “Verbal tap out: When a contestant verbally announces to the referee that he or she does not wish to continue or makes audible sounds such as screams indicating pain or discomfort.”#UFC305
