UFC 305 – Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya: Results, Highlights, Fight Card, Winner, Complete Guide

Australia got a special card deal this weekend when the UFC returned to Perth. The promotion delivered an epic PPV main card that saw Dricus du Plessis defend his middleweight title against Israel Adesanya in a brilliant back-and-forth.

Du Plessis, the South African native, suffered serious injuries from former champion Adesanya, who returned to action after nearly a year off. Adesanya appeared close to taking du Plessis to the ground when the champion returned fire, forcing Adesanya on the defensive from behind before applying the rear-naked choke.

There was some great action on the supporting card, with Kai Kara-France returning from his own hiatus to score a stunning first-round knockout of flyweight Steve Erceg. Kara-France, who was fighting for the interim title in 2023, catapulted his name back to the top of the contenders list after defeating Erceg, who suffered a hard-fought loss to Alexandre Pantoja for the full title in May. Plus, Dan Hooker turned back the clock and scored a huge upset win over Mateusz Gamrot. Hooker, who was also out of action for over a year, extended his winning streak to three with the split decision bout, in which he knocked down the rising challenger several times. And rising prospect Carlos Prates showed what a huge talent he could be with a stunning knockout of Li Jingliang to open the PPV. It was the first time in Jingliang's long career that he had been knocked out.

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UFC 305 fight card, results

• Dricus du Plessis (c) defeated Israel Adesanya by submission in the fourth round (rear-naked choke)
• Kai Kara-France defeated Steve Erceg by knockout in the first round (punch)
• Dan Hooker defeated Mateusz Gamrot via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Jairzinho Rozenstruik defeated. Tai Tuivasa by split decision (29-28, 27-30, 30-27)
• Carlos Prates defeated Li Jingliang by KO in the second round (punch)
• Valter Walker defeated Junior Tafa by submission in the first round (heel hook)
• Ricardo Ramos defeated Josh Culibao by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Casey O'Neill defeated Luana Santos by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
• Jack Jenkins defeated Herbert Burns by TKO in the third round (calf kicks)
• Tom Nolan defeated Alex Reyes by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Song Kenan defeated Ricky Glenn by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-26)
• Jesus Aguilar defeats Stewart Nicoll by submission in the first round (guillotine choke)

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