Dricus du Plessis vs Israel Adesanya: UFC fights, record, KOs and statistics

The fight between Dricus du Plessis (21-2) and Israel Adesanya (24-3) will headline UFC 305. Still, the New Zealander of Nigerian origin will not defend the title this time, he will be the contender.

Izzy lost the belt to Sean Strickland via a unanimous decision, and the same happened to the American after that, as he lost a close split decision to Du Plessis, who became the first South African UFC champion. Before Adesanya lost the crown, they had already shown their animosity toward each other.

Now both men will finally meet in the cage in a clear battle of styles, as the former two-time middleweight champion is a striker, while the South African is a dangerous grappler.

Adesanya vs Du Plessis: who’s fighting in the UFC 305 main card?

Kai Kara-France (24-11-1) vs Steve Erceg (12-2)

Kai Kara-France, fourth in the flyweight rankings, returns to the octagon looking to get closer to a title fight. The New Zealander was on a three-fight winning streak until he tasted defeat in the interim flyweight title against Brandon Moreno. The Mexican won by TKO with a kick to the liver.

After this loss, he spent a year without fighting until he returned in June 2023 to take on Amir Alzabi in a fight to climb some positions in the division, but the Iraqi mixed martial artist won by split decision. Now he will face the seventh-ranked Steve Erceg, who recently fought for the crown. The Australian, couldn’t dethrone the division’s current king Alexandre Pantoja despite his good performance.

Mateusz Gamrot (24-2-1) vs Dan Hooker (23-12)

An exciting fight is on the cards in the lightweight division, as Mateusz Gamrot and Dan Hooker, fifth and eleventh-ranked fighters respectively, will collide in a highly contested clash. The Pole has won his last three contests, one before the limit, and wants new challenges. On the other hand, the New Zealander lost via split decision to Jalin Turner, a fighter Gamrot defeated more than a year ago.

Tai Tuivasa (15-7) vs Jairzinho Rozenstruik (14-5)

The heavyweight division will also be one of the main attractions at UFC 305. Tai Tuivasa returns to the cage after his last defeat. The Australian was submitted in the first round by Marcin Tybura in March and is on a four-fight losing streak. He wants to return to winning ways and be considered again in the race for a title fight.

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Meanwhile, Rozenstruik knocked out Shamil Gaziev in his last fight. The Suriname native is in the No. 12 spot in the heavyweight rankings (Tuivasa is No. 10) and lost to all the big names he faced in the past, like Ciryl Gane, Francis Ngannou, and Alexander Volkov.

Li Jingliang (19-8) vs Carlos Prates (19-6)

The welterweight category will open the main card. The Chinese Li Jingliang and the Brazilian Carlos Prates will seek to enter the division rankings in this clash. The winner will be in the UFC spotlight in a category that has a new king, Belal Muhammad.