UFC heads to the far side of the globe this weekend for its first event in Perth, Australia, since February 2023, when UFC 284 took place at the RAC Arena there as well.
Dricus du Plessis will defend his UFC Middleweight Championship against Israel Adesanya, the former two-time champ.
Du Plessis was also the KSW Welterweight Champion at one point. The co-headliner pits Kai Kara-France against Steve Erceg in a flyweight bout.
We have the full fight card along with sports betting predictions for the two fights at the end of the evening’s action.
UFC 305 Betting du Plessis vs Adesanya Odds & Preview | MMA Odds
Dricus du Plessis +102 vs Israel Adesanya -122
Du Plessis (21-2, 7-0) vs Adesanya (24-3, 13-3) is the first UFC title fight ever between two African-born fighters. These two fighters have been nursing a grudge for years, and now they get to settle it in the OCtagon.
Adesanya quickly rose to UFC stardom with his rapid improvement in skills, going from struggling against wrestling to becoming the Middleweight Champion in less than a year. Despite some lackluster performances, he continued to defend his title impressively.
However, a knockout loss by Alex Pereira and a failed attempt to move up in weight class brought uncertainty to his dominance.
Adesanya’s future in the division remains in question as he aims for redemption and looks to reclaim his status as the middleweight king.
Despite setbacks, his journey in the UFC has been filled with highs and lows as he continues to push himself to new heights in the sport.
However, once du Plessis knocked out Robert Whittaker and got into it with Adesanya after the fight, that seemed like the next great middleweight event.
Scheduling has been difficult, not least because Whittaker dealt some injuries to du Plessis.
Adesanya lost to Strickland due to a lack of engagement. Du Plessis, known for his toughness and power, found success in international MMA and UFC.
Despite not being the most technically skilled, he used brute force to defeat top opponents and claim the title.
Now facing Adesanya, du Plessis needs to capitalize on openings early on to avoid stamina issues. It’s predicted to be a close match, but with the odds in his favor, du Plessis is expected to target Adesanya’s weak spots and secure a victory.
UFC 305 Betting Pick: Du Plessis wins via knockout.
^Kai Kara-France +140 vs Steve Erceg -166
Kara-France (24-11, 7-4) vs Erceg (12-2, 3-1) is a fun battle between two flyweight contenders from down under.
Erceg almost beat Alexandre Pantoja to take the UFC Flyweight Championship back in May, a surprising rise for a fighter who entered the promotion as a grappler without much athleticism.
His decision victory over David Dvorak showed improvement in striking, and then he beat Alessandro Costa in a sloppy fight and knocked out Matt Schnell to get the title fight.
Erceg was going strong, landing blows while using his grappling, but a late takedown attempt went poorly on the cards.
Kara-France has a lot of knockout power for a flyweight, and he’s improved since losing to Brandon Royval at the end of 2020.
His defensive wrestling has improved, and he has learned how to finish fights.
He took on Brandon Moreno in an interim title fight but gave up an early points lead, and he almost reversed that score in a comeback against Amir Albazi that fell just short.
Erceg looks like he’ll be able to drive the rhythm and is sharper from range.
UFC 305 Betting Pick: Erceg wins via decision.
^Main Card at Pay Per View
- Dricus du Plessis vs Israel Adesanya (UFC Middleweight Championship)
- Kai Kara-France vs Steve Erceg (Flyweight)
- Mateusz Gamrot vs Dan Hooker (Lightweight)
- Tai Tuivasa vs Jairzinho Rozenstruik (Heavyweight)
- Li Jingliang vs Carlos Prates (Welterweight)
Preliminary Card at ESPN2 / ESPN+
- Junior Tafa vs Valter Walker (Heavyweight)
- Joshua Culibao vs Ricardo Ramos (Featherweight)
- Casey O’Neill vs Luana Santos (Women’s Flyweight)
- Jack Jenkins vs Herbert Burns (Featherweight)
Early Preliminary Card at ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass
- Tom Nolan vs Alex Reyes (Lightweight)
- Song Kenan vs Ricky Glenn (Welterweight)
- Stewart Nicoli vs Jesus Santos Aguilar (Flyweight)
He has been a bulldozer in the Octagon 😤
— UFC (@ufc) August 16, 2024
We take a look at every finish in the UFC career of @DricusDuPlessis ! #UFC305 pic.twitter.com/H15b3H99ev
UFC Betting Odds For Today
Xbet Betting Lines for the UFC
UFC 305 Betting: Du Plessis vs Adesanya Preview
Love betting MMA? | Xbet Sportsbook offers up to date MMA Lines
