There's something special about a mixed martial arts event in Australia.
Maybe it's the time warp an American fan experiences when watching fights on television on a Saturday night and realizing they're taking place the next morning, local time. It's as disconcerting as being in the cage in Australia and knowing that fans on the other side of the world are watching the fights live… last night.
Or maybe it’s something else that makes watching MMA fights in Australia seem so unconventional. Maybe it’s the fights themselves, which often have multiple exclamation points. Anyone who has followed the sport for a number of years has witnessed the twists of reality that can emanate from cage fighting in this corner of the southern hemisphere.
Mark Hunt and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva inflicted the damage they deserve on each other’s careers during one unforgettable night in Brisbane in 2013. A record-breaking night (morning?) in Sydney a year later, with 11 fights and 11 finishes. And, of course, Holly Holm kicking Ronda Rousey off her pedestal at UFC 193 in 2015 in Melbourne. That event set a company attendance record that stood until the Octagon returned to Melbourne in 2019 and 57,127 packed Marvel Stadium to watch Israel Adesanya knock out Robert Whittaker and become middleweight champion.
When the eight-sided cage returns to Australia on Saturday, the former two-time champion will challenge Dricus Du Plessis in the main event of UFC 305 in Perth. At stake will be not just a shiny strap, but the pride of a continent 5,000 miles away, as both fighters have roots in Africa, though they have very different life experiences.
That's the origin of just one of the many intriguing storylines that will unfold this weekend. Here are five things to keep an eye on at UFC 305.
Who will conquer the homeland on a distant shore?
1. Middleweight Championship: Dricus Du Plessis (c) vs. Israel Adesanya
Saturday’s main event will take place in Western Australia, though the delicate territorial battle is tied to a land on the other side of the Indian Ocean. Du Plessis was born and still lives in South Africa. Adesanya was born in Nigeria and moved with his family to New Zealand when he was 10. Given those disparate life paths, Du Plessis once declared, “I’m the African fighter in the UFC.” That didn’t sit well with Adesanya, who said his family emigrated in search of educational opportunities.
If there’s a grudge that adds to what’s already at stake, so be it. It’s not a necessary ingredient for this to be an intriguing fight, but let’s not forget that the last time Adesanya was in an animosity-fueled showdown, he attacked Paulo Costa before knocking him out in 2020. His only knockout since then came against Alex Pereira last year, five months after Pereira knocked him out. So “The Last Stylebender” has shown a thirst for revenge, especially against powerful aggressors. Can Adesanya’s counterpunches stop the brief reign of Du Plessis, who has reeled off nine straight wins?
Which reconstruction project will remain standing?
2. Men's flyweight: Kai Kara-France vs. Steve Erceg
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Steve Erceg puts Matt Schnell to sleep with a brutal right hook
Steve Erceg sends Matt Schnell to the ground with a strong right hand to get the KO victory.
The first two times Kara-France competed in the UFC, the fights took place in Australia and he was a local guy. He’s actually from New Zealand, 1,300 miles across the Tasman Sea, but his opponents were from the other side of the world, from the United States and Brazil. This time, however, it’s an away game for Kara-France, as Erceg was born in Perth and lives 20 minutes from the RAC Arena. Erceg has fought in his hometown six times, but all before his signing with the UFC last summer. He’s made just four trips inside the Octagon and has already challenged for the 125-pound title.
That last point highlights how this fight, like the main event, is about more than just geography. Erceg, 29, was riding an 11-fight winning streak when he unsuccessfully challenged Alexandre Pantoja in May. Kara-France, 31, made a bid for an interim belt in 2022, losing via TKO to former champion Brandon Moreno. Both Kara-France and Erceg are in rebuilding mode. A loss here wouldn’t be the end of the road to contender status, but it could send that fighter on a daunting detour.
Can we all just enjoy a good swinging time?
3. Heavyweight: Tai Tuivasa against Jairzinho Rozenstruik
I apologize for loving Tuivasa's fights as much as I do. Sure, I love watching a fit athlete show off his technical fighting skills by inflicting damage and stopping whatever an opponent can throw at him. That's the mixed martial arts I feel comfortable being a fan of. But I just can't get away from a slimy puncher, which is what Tuivasa always promises.
What the Australian can't always promise, of course, is his delightfully obnoxious post-fight celebration, the shoey. Beer and footwear only appear in victory, and Tuivasa has lost four fights in a row. But there's something worth celebrating here, even before these heavy-handed heavyweights throw the first punch: the matchup. Rozenstruik can throw punches in a big way like Tuivasa, so this one should be fun while it lasts.
Will this level change be successful?
4. Lightweight: Mateusz Gamrot vs. Dan Hooker
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Mateusz Gamrot scores an incredible victory over Arman Tsarukyan
Mateusz Gamrot does enough to convince the judges to win by unanimous decision over Arman Tsarukyan on Saturday night.
I was starting to get nervous for Hooker, similar to the nerves of watching Tony Ferguson compete at age 40. Hooker is only 34 and his streak wasn’t all that dismal, but over a period from June 2020 to March 2022, he lost four of five fights, and he was knocked out in all but one of the losses. It should be noted that those losses were to Islam Makhachev, Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler and Arnold Allen, not a can of tomatoes between them. And Hooker has since bounced back with a pair of wins over opponents a step lower in the rankings (Jalin Turner, Claudio Puelles). The problem for Hooker is that this fight puts him back in the top tier of competition. Gamrot has won seven of eight fights and is on the fringe of title contention. Will it be too much for Hooker or will Gamrot be out of the picture?
One fighter's ceiling is another fighter's ceiling… ?
5. Women's Flyweight: Casey O'Neill vs. Luana Santos
O’Neill was 9-0 after winning her fourth straight UFC fight in early 2022, and observers were beginning to speculate about where her ceiling was. But she’s now on a two-fight losing streak, and the speculation is about how deep her fall might be. Meanwhile, Santos is three fights into her UFC career, riding a five-fight win streak and looking like a rising prospect. This is a fitting test for both women, a level-setter. O’Neill is 26, while Santos is just 24. So their story could take twists and turns for years.
