Follow the action as Israel Adesanya, Kai Kara-France and Dan Hooker take to the octagon at UFC 305 in Perth.
Israel Adesanya returns to the UFC octagon for the first time in 11 months to challenge Dricus du Plessis for the middleweight championship in the main event at UFC 305 in Perth today.
The bouts will bring a conclusion to almost two years of animosity between the two fighters. The UFC had previously tried to schedule the fight for last September in Sydney - when Adesanya was the champion - but injury forced du Plessis to decline.
American Sean Strickland stepped in and beat Adesanya to claim the belt - before losing it to du Plessis in January. Speaking to the Herald last month, du Plessis said he was approached the day after winning the title about defending it against Adesanya at UFC 300 in April. However, du Plessis needed more time to recover, and the fight was ultimately booked to headline in Perth.
Adesanya will be one of three athletes from Auckland’s City Kickboxing gym to appear on the card. Fourth-ranked flyweight Kai Kara-France will put that number on the line against seventh-ranked Steve Erceg - a hometown favourite who comes into the bout on the back of a close defeat against champion Alexandre Pantoja - while 11th-ranked lightweight Dan Hooker will look to take fifth-ranked Mateusz Gamrot’s spot in the rankings.
The trio appear in the last three fights of the event, all on the pay-per-view main card.
TAB odds
- Israel Adesanya $1.87 Dricus du Plessis $1.94
- Kai Kara-France $2.90 Steve Erceg $1.42
- Dan Hooker $3.90 Mateusz Gamrot $1.26
UFC 305
RAC Arena, Perth. Sunday, August 18.
Main card (from 2pm on Sky Arena and Sky Sport Now for $44.95)
- Main event: Dricus du Plessis [c] v Israel Adesanya [2] for the UFC middleweight title
- Flyweight: Kai Kara-France [4] v Steve Erceg [7]
- Lightweight: Mateusz Gamrot [5] v Dan Hooker [11]
- Heavyweight: Tai Tuivasa [10] v Jairzinho Rozenstruik [12] - Rozenstruik won by split decision
- Welterweight: Li Jingliang v Carlos Prates - Prates won by second-round knockout
Prelims (from 12pm on ESPN, Sky Open, Sky Sport Now, UFC Fight Pass)
- Heavyweight: Junior Tafa v Valter Walker - Walker won by first-round technical submission (heel hook)
- Featherweight: Josh Culibao v Ricardo Ramos - Ramos won via split decision
- Flyweight: Casey O’Neill [15] v Luana Santos - O’Neill won by unanimous decision
- Featherweight: Jack Jenkins v Herbert Burns - Jenkins won by third-round TKO
Early Prelims (from 10.30am on UFC Fight Pass)
- Lightweight: Tom Nolan v Alex Reyes - Nolan won by unanimous decision
- Welterweight: Song Kenan v Ricky Glenn - Kenan won by unanimous decision
- Flyweight: Stewart Nicoll v Jesus Aguilar - Aguilar won by first-round submission (guillotine choke)
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.
