UFC 305 goes down this weekend at the RAC Arena in Perth Australia, and it features one of the biggest storylines in all of MMA going into the main event.

Main Event – Dricus Du Plessis (C) vs Israel Adesanya (#2) – Middleweight Championship of the World

After a year off from the sport following a massive upset to Sean Strickland, Israel Adesanya returns to the octagon to face now champion Dricus Du Plessis, who took the Middleweight crown from Sean Strickland earlier this year in a close, five-round fight. How the layoff will affect Adesanya has yet to been seen, and it is unclear how Du Plessis will approach fighting one of the better strikers in the history of the sport.

How Du Plessis Wins – Pressure, Pressure, Pressure. Du Plessis’s size and strength advantage, coupled with his great cardio and wrestling ability will be the key for him in this fight. While he looks sloppy on the feet at times, there is no denying his ability to come forward and dominate a fight. If he retains the belt this Saturday, he will have to pressure Israel against the cage, get takedowns, and avoid getting caught while swinging wildly.

How Adesanya Wins – Keep things personal. Israel Adesanya does his best fighting when the tensions are high, and there is no love lost between these fighters. In fights where the blood is bad (His second fight against Alex Pereira and his fight with Paulo Costa) Israel showed some of his best work. If he regains the title this weekend, it will be because he controls the center of the octagon, defends takedowns, and uses Du Plessis’s plodding striking game against him to land well timed counters.

Co-Main Event – Kai Kara-France (#4) vs Steve Erceg (#7) – Flyweight Bout

Coming off of a very close title loss to Alexandre Pantoja, Steve Erceg looks to get back in the win column when he takes on Kai Kara France, who is returning to the octagon after a year layoff.

How Erceg Wins – Maximize versatility. Erceg is large for a flyweight, and he should use his striking to setup takedowns where he can exploit Kara-France’s weaknesses. Straying away from striking in the pocket with Kara-France, and using the grappling breakaways to land jabs and head kicks are his best chances to grab a win.

How Kara-France Wins –  Stop the takedowns, land the big shot. Despite being small for a flyweight, Kara-France has fought and knocked out both flyweight and bantamweights, and his power and speed will be the key to this fight. Despite giving up 4 inches in height to Erceg, he actually holds the advantage in reach, which he will have to use to get in and out of the pocket, land big strikes, and defend takedowns on the way out.

Featured Fight of the Night – Mateusz Gamrot (#5) vs Dan Hooker (#11) – Lightweight Bout

In a classic grappler vs striker matchup, Mateusz Gamrot and Dan Hooker clash in a lightweight bout with potential title implications down the line.

How Gamrot Wins – Don’t stand and bang. This should be obvious … If you have ever seen Gamrot fight, you know he has the ability to out-grapple almost anybody in the division. The problem is that he has been knocked down in five of his last nine fights, and he doesn’t have the power to trade blows with Hooker. If Gamrot wins, he’ll have to get takedowns and maintain control for the entire fifteen minute fight, which is something he is very capable of doing.

How Hooker Wins – Take advantage of every standing opportunity. There is a common saying in MMA that goes “every fight starts on the feet”, and it has been the bane of every “grapple-first” fighter to ever enter the sport. Hooker will be well aware of the disparity between he and Gamrot on the ground, and he will need to use every single second of this fight’s striking moments to try and finish Gamrot early.

Follow The Combat Zone podcast for our full predictions for the fight card, and catch us on X, where we “live-tweet” the action every Saturday.

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— The Combat Zone with Jake Smith (@CombatZoneFFSN) August 15, 2024