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Kai Kara-France vs. Steve Erceg Added To Perth-Held UFC 305 On August 17

It’ll be Oceania vs. Oceania in Oceania when former flyweight title challengers Kai Kara-France and Steve Erceg share the Octagon at UFC 305 on August 17. Mixed martial arts’ leading promotion is set to be back on Australian soil later this summer, where Perth’s RAC Arena will play host to an event for the first time […]

Continue Reading Kai Kara-France vs. Steve Erceg Added To Perth-Held UFC 305 On August 17 at MMA News.

It’ll be Oceania vs. Oceania in Oceania when former flyweight title challengers Kai Kara-France and Steve Erceg share the Octagon at UFC 305 on August 17.

Mixed martial arts’ leading promotion is set to be back on Australian soil later this summer, where Perth’s RAC Arena will play host to an event for the first time since Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski’s memorable five-round battle last February.

Topping the lineup this time will be UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis and divisional legend Israel Adesanya. And the Nigerian-New Zealander won’t be the only fighter from that region competing close to home.

As well as the likes of Joshua Culibao and Jack Jenkins, New Zealand’s Kara-France is set to meet Australia’s Erceg in a key bout in the context of the flyweight division.

The fight was announced by the promotion, while Kara-France himself discussed his long-awaited comeback at UFC 305 in an interview with Christopher Reive for the New Zealand Herald.

Kara-France, Erceg Target Bounce-Back Win At UFC 305

When the #4-ranked Kara-France and #9-ranked Erceg throw down in Perth in less than two months’ time, both will be looking for a crucial rebound performance.

Kara-France (24-11, 1 NC) hasn’t been in action since June 2023 when he suffered a narrow main event decision loss to Amir Albazi at the Apex in Las Vegas. The result sent “Don’t Blink” onto the first losing skid of his UFC career, having followed an interim title defeat opposite Brandon Moreno 11 months prior at UFC 277 in Dallas.

If the New Zealander is to taste victory for the first time since his win over Askar Askrav 27 months ago, he must stall the charge of Erceg (12-2) and his pursuit of a rematch with reigning champion Alexandre Pantoja. The Aussie battled “The Cannibal” in the main event of UFC 301 in Brazil this past May, an opportunity that came off the back of three quick wins following his arrival in the promotion.

Despite a valiant attempt in Rio de Janeiro, “AstroBoy” was ultimately unable to unseat the champ. After expressing his desire to bounce back on home soil this August, Erceg has had his wish granted, and he’ll now look to return to the win column at the expense of Kara-France.

Read More: 6 Positives & 3 Negatives From UFC 303: Alex Pereira vs. Ji?í Procházka 2

Continue Reading Kai Kara-France vs. Steve Erceg Added To Perth-Held UFC 305 On August 17 at MMA News.

Dricus Du Plessis claims win over Israel Adesanya puts him in GOAT debate: ‘This is where I take over’

UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis thinks a win over Israel Adesanya will put him into the GOAT conversation…

UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis thinks a win over Israel Adesanya will put him into the GOAT conversation at middleweight.

Du Plessis is undefeated in the UFC and coming off a decision win over Sean Strickland to win the middleweight title. Heading into his first title defense at UFC 305 in Australia against Adesanya, he believes a win over the former champ will help cement his legacy as an all-time great.

“I’ve always looked at Israel Adesanya as the benchmark,” Du Plessis told Fox West Texas. “Now, ‘Izzy’ became a champion a long time ago, and I’ve looked at him and always knew this is where I need to be if I ever want to be the best in the world. This is the benchmark.

“He is one of the greatest to ever do it, and this fight for me is going to put me in that position. This is where I take over as one of the greatest to ever do it. This is where my years of building and climbing that ladder is going to a point where I am now the guy that’s one of the greatest to ever do it.”

Dricus du Plessis taunts Israel Adesanya into UFC title fight be a man of your word and let's do this — Mandatory Credit: Vaughan Ridley

Although Du Plessis believes he can enter the GOAT conversation with a win over Adesanya, the South African will need several more title defenses to be considered the 185lbs GOAT due to the reign of Anderson Silva. But, beating Adesanya no doubt puts him on the right track.

Dricus Du Plessis says Israel Adesanya will prove he belongs

Although Dricus Du Plessis enters his UFC 305 fight as the middleweight champion, he knows people are overlooking him and counting him out.

With that, Dricus Du Plessis says his fight will prove to everyone just how good he is and prove he is the legit champion.

“He’s a very smart fighter,” du Plessis said on Adesanya. “He figures out his opponents, and he sets a lot of traps. He does it incredibly well. So, for me, this fight is just like how beating Robert Whittaker was. It’s a fight that people don’t think you’re going to win. It’s a hard fight.

“I’m fighting against arguably one of the greatest middleweights ever, and I have to go out there and prove that I am that guy. That’s what this fight is going to mean to me. It’s going to mean I told you I belong here. This fight is going to mean that Dricus du Plessis is now in the conversation of being one of the greatest middleweights ever,” Du Plessis said.

Du Plessis is 21-2 as a pro and is coming off a split decision win over Sean Strickland to become the middleweight champion. He’s 7-0 in the UFC and has notable wins over Robert Whittaker, Darren Till, Derek Brunson, and Brad Tavares.

Dricus Du Plessis claims win over Israel Adesanya puts him in GOAT debate: ‘This is where I take over’

UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis thinks a win over Israel Adesanya will put him into the GOAT conversation…

UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis thinks a win over Israel Adesanya will put him into the GOAT conversation at middleweight.

Dricus Du Plessis says Israel Adesanya will prove he belongs

Although Dricus Du Plessis enters his UFC 305 fight as the middleweight champion, he knows people are overlooking him and counting him out.

With that, Dricus Du Plessis says his fight will prove to everyone just how good he is and prove he is the legit champion.

Dan Hooker reveals offer to fight Charles Oliveira at UFC 305 in Perth: ‘Let’s see if he takes the cake’

Perennial lightweight contender, Dan Hooker has revealed a fight with former division champion, Charles Oliveira has been sounded out…

Perennial lightweight contender, Dan Hooker has revealed a fight with former division champion, Charles Oliveira has been sounded out for a UFC 305 card in Perth, Australia – claiming he is “100% in” to fight the Brazilian next.

Hooker, the current number eleven ranked division contender, has been sidelined since he featured at UFC 290 back the summer of last year, landing a decision win over Jalin Turner in a short-notice reworked clash.

As for former undisputed lightweight champion, Oliveira, the promotion’s most prolific submission and knockout artist, featured at UFC 300 back in April, suffering a close, controversial split decision win over current number one contender, Arman Tsarukyan.

Dan Hooker claims Charles Oliveira fight is in the works for UFC 305

And confirming plans to feature at the RAC Arena in a return ‘Downunder’ – amid the confirmation of a UFC 305 headliner featuring Dricus du Plessis and City Kickboxing training partner, Israel Adesanya in a middleweight title fight – Hooker confirmed his own comeback is still in the works.

Dan Hooker mocks BMF title return I'd put it under the bed or something — Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC

“I’m not really sure I can say anything,” Dan Hooker told Fox Sports Australia during a recnet interview. “There’s nothing official, but obviously I’m a hundred percent in and – the old ‘Charlie Olives’ (Charles Oliveira).”

“I think that’s the fight the fans here over this side of the world would love to see, but yeah, let’s see if he takes the ake and signs on the dotted line.”

Kiwi striker, Hooker’s revelation of a targeted fight with fan-favorite finisher, Oliveira in his return to the Octagon comes hot on the heels of a recent call out of the Brazilian by his own training partner, Alexander Volkanovski – who labelled a potential clash an “exciting” showdown.

Alex Pereira defends Charles Oliveira after UFC 300 loss Nobody knows what he's going through — Mandatory Credit: Cooper Neil

“So, if there is no title fight until next year [for me] then I need something exciting – maybe Charles Oliveira,” Alexander Volkanovski explained. “There are others but I think Michael Chandler will keep waiting for Conor McGregor and I think Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje also want to wait a bit. There is nobody [at featherweight] that excites me, or that I haven’t fought already. And they’ve said my next one there is the title fight.”

Who wins in a potential future fight: Dan Hooker or Charles Oliveira?

Sean Strickland shuts down fight with Robert Whittaker next: ‘I’m the number one contender, I will wait’

Former undisputed middleweight champion, Sean Strickland has no interest in fighting fellow ex-champion, Robert Whittaker in a title-eliminator next…

Former undisputed middleweight champion, Sean Strickland has no interest in fighting fellow ex-champion, Robert Whittaker in a title-eliminator next – claiming his status as the division’s number one contender is in tact, as he waits for his own challenge at the throne again.

Strickland, the current number one ranked middleweight contender, most recently featured last month in the co-main event of UFC 302, landing a split decision win over former title challenger, Paulo Costa in New Jersey.

As for Whittaker, the Auckland favorite headlined UFC Saudi Arabia over the course of last weekend, emerging unscathed with a dominant opening round knockout win over short-notice opponent, Ikram Aliskerov.

And announcing plans to feature as a potential backup fighter at UFC 305 in August – as former foes, Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya vie for the undisputed middleweight crown, Whittaker has also been linked with a reworked fight with Khamzat Chimaev.

Sean Strickland uninterested in fight with Robert Whittaker

Furthermore, the former gold holder was urged to chase a championship eliminator fight with Strickland on the same card in Perth, however, the latter appears less than interested in a clash.

“I keep getting asked to fight Whittaker,” Sean Strickland posted on his official X account. “I beat Izzy, the world knows I beat Dricus. Whittaker lost to boot. I am the number one contender, I defended that spot easily against Costa. I will wait…..”

I keep getting asked to fight whittaker. I beat Izzy, the world knows I beat dricus.

Whittaker lost to both.

I am the number 1 contender, I defended that spot easily against Costa.

I will wait…..

— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) June 25, 2024

Staking his claim for a future rematch with either former-foes, du Plessis or Adesanya, Strickland unsuccessfully defended his middleweight crown against the South African striker back in January at UFC 297 in Canada, suffering a controversial split decision loss over the course of five rounds.

Do you think Sean Strickland should fight Robert Whittaker next?

Robert Whittaker underwent emergency surgery ahead of UFC Saudi Arabia, hoping to return at UFC 305

After his quick finish of Ikram Aliskerov in Riyadh, Robert Whittaker is hoping to land a spot on the…

After his quick finish of Ikram Aliskerov in Riyadh, Robert Whittaker is hoping to land a spot on the UFC’s upcoming card in Perth.

Lurking in the shadows of the middleweight top 10 for the last few years, Whittaker made a pretty big statement inside Kingdom Arena, dispatching one of the division’s most exciting prospects in less than two minutes and immediately thrusting himself back into title talks.

Having suffered little to no damage, ‘The Reaper’ is looking to make a quick turnaround by either competing at UFC 305 on August 17 in The Land Down Under or serving as a backup for the event’s massive middleweight headliner between reigning champion Dricus Du Plessis and former two-time titleholder Israel Adesanya.

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However, before any of that can happen, Whittaker will have to take care of a lingering issue that popped up right before he made his way to Saudi Arabia.

“Rob has a really bad abscess that flared up a week before flying out,” Whittaker’s manager Titus Day told Fox Sports Australia. “He had headaches, tooth pain, it was like he’d been kicked in the side of the head. He couldn’t train, couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep. It was f*cking painful.

“The whole side of his head was in pain so we had to rush him in for emergency surgery” (h/t MMA Fighting).

Robert Whittaker won’t commit to UFC 305 return until undergoing more surgery

Fortunately, the post-surgery swelling subsided enough for him to step inside the Octagon on Saturday night and deliver another highlight-reel-worthy performance. With more surgery scheduled to be done within the next few weeks, Whittaker and his team are in wait-and-see mode before making any further commitments to the UFC.

“Right now, regarding Perth, it’s just too early to say,” Day said. “Obviously there was a lot of talk on the night about Rob being the backup for that UFC 305 main event. There was also talk about him fighting somebody else, too. And potentially, he could still do either of those. He’ll have to meet with the team and talk it through.”

Whittaker has now won four of his last six fights, his two losses coming against the men who will headline UFC 305 later this year.