Tag: UFC 305

UFC Full Fight: Relive Israel Adesanya’s Battle With Middleweight Legend Anderson Silva Ahead Of UFC 305 Return 

UFC 305 headliner Israel Adesanya increased his prominence en route to the middleweight throne by adding the legendary name of Anderson Silva to his record in 2019. The former two-time champion will return in the main event of this weekend’s pay-per-view card at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, where he’s tasked with regaining the belt once […]

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UFC 305 headliner Israel Adesanya increased his prominence en route to the middleweight throne by adding the legendary name of Anderson Silva to his record in 2019.

The former two-time champion will return in the main event of this weekend’s pay-per-view card at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, where he’s tasked with regaining the belt once again in a grudge match against Dricus Du Plessis.

Adesanya captured the 185-pound crown for the first time as an undefeated fighter by stopping Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 in October 2019. The result was the culmination of a successful 3-0 year in the cage for the Nigerian-New Zealander, and it started against a GOAT contender.

Eight months before his undisputed win, Adesanya shared the cage with Silva. The pair’s flashy striking styles collided in the UFC 234 main event, getting promoted to the headline spotlight on short notice after the cancellation of Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum’s scheduled title fight.

The three-round contest, which collected Fight of the Night honors, delivered plenty of highlights, with Adesanya ultimately running out a unanimous decision win over one of the greatest the sport has ever seen.

Ahead of Saturday’s event, the promotion has released the full Adesanya vs. Silva fight from UFC 234 on its official YouTube channel.

Since that result, Adesanya has made good on the decision many made to brand his victory over Silva a passing of the torch moment. With two reigns and numerous notable wins, “The Last Stylebender” now sits just below “The Spider” in the division’s all-time list for many.

And he’ll have the chance to further cement that spot this weekend by achieving a record third crowning at 185 pounds at the expense of Du Plessis.

Continue Reading UFC Full Fight: Relive Israel Adesanya’s Battle With Middleweight Legend Anderson Silva Ahead Of UFC 305 Return  at MMA News.

Mateusz Gamrot Feels UFC 305 Main Event Similar To Dan Hooker Match Up: ‘High-Level Striker But Wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu Not Super…’

Mateusz Gamrot recently predicted that the UFC 305 main event between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya would play out much like his own showdown with Dan Hooker. UFC 305 is set to rock the RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia, this weekend with a stacked array of fights. The highly anticipated pay-per-view will be […]

Continue Reading Mateusz Gamrot Feels UFC 305 Main Event Similar To Dan Hooker Match Up: ‘High-Level Striker But Wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu Not Super…’ at MMA News.

Mateusz Gamrot recently predicted that the UFC 305 main event between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya would play out much like his own showdown with Dan Hooker.

UFC 305 is set to rock the RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia, this weekend with a stacked array of fights. The highly anticipated pay-per-view will be headlined by a middleweight title clash, where Du Plessis defends his UFC belt for the first time against Adesanya. The co-main event features a high-stakes flyweight showdown between Kai Kara-France and Steve Erceg, while the main card also boasts a pivotal lightweight bout between Gamrot and Hooker.

“The Last Stylebender” enters this fight after the longest hiatus of his UFC career, following a shocking title loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in September 2023. Despite coming off a defeat and a year-long layoff, Adesanya is still slightly favored to win against Du Plessis, largely due to his dominant title reign and highly technical fighting style.

However, Gamrot believes that Adesanya has some vulnerabilities that “Stillknocks” will exploit, much like he plans to do against his own opponent, Hooker…

Gamrot Believes Adesanya’s Wrestling Falls Short Of His Striking

During UFC 305 media day on Wednesday, Gamrot offered his prediction for the main event. “Gamer” acknowledged that while Adesanya’s striking is exceptional, he falls short when it comes to wrestling and grappling. Gamrot predicted that Du Plessis will exploit these weaknesses to put Adesanya under pressure, much like he intends to do against Hooker in their own bout.

“I think Dricus [will win],” Gamrot said. “I like the guy, we have a good relationship. He is good everywhere like he’s—maybe this matchup is similar to my matchup against Hooker. So, Adesanya is a high-level striker, but his wrestling and jiu-jitsu, I think, are not super. I don’t know, but I can think about that—jiu-jitsu and wrestling are not at the same level as his striking. So if Dricus takes him down, then the fight will be much easier for him, and I think the power is much different between Adesanya and Dricus. So, my prediction is that Dricus will win this fight.”

“Gamer” is riding a three-fight win streak and is set to return to the Octagon after a commanding unanimous decision victory over Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC 299 this past March.

Gamrot enters UFC 305 with a distinct advantage, thanks to his wrestling-heavy style, which could pose serious problems for “The Hangman”, who prefers to keep the fight standing.

Continue Reading Mateusz Gamrot Feels UFC 305 Main Event Similar To Dan Hooker Match Up: ‘High-Level Striker But Wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu Not Super…’ at MMA News.

Junior Tafa On Fighting Johnny Walker’s Brother At UFC 305: ‘I’d Like To Fight Both The Walker Brothers…’

In a rare situation at UFC 305, two fighters that have siblings also on the roster, will come face-to-face in the featured prelim. Junior Tafa is looking for his second UFC win after being stopped earlier this year by Marcos Rogério de Lima at UFC 298. His older brother Justin is the more experienced of […]

Continue Reading Junior Tafa On Fighting Johnny Walker’s Brother At UFC 305: ‘I’d Like To Fight Both The Walker Brothers…’ at MMA News.

In a rare situation at UFC 305, two fighters that have siblings also on the roster, will come face-to-face in the featured prelim.

Junior Tafa is looking for his second UFC win after being stopped earlier this year by Marcos Rogério de Lima at UFC 298.

His older brother Justin is the more experienced of the two men, with a total of nine Octagon appearances under his belt.

The same dynamic can be found in the household of his opponent with Valter Walker looking to bounce back from a debut defeat in April.

In comparison, his older brother Johnny Walker is a 14-fight UFC veteran and a staple of the light heavyweight division.

Despite the difference in weight classes between them, the younger of the Tafa brothers hopes that he can run through a Walker family gauntlet in his coming fights.

Junior Tafa Says He’d Like To Fight Both Of The ‘Cool Cat’ Walker Brothers

During his media day interview ahead of his clash with Walker this weekend in Perth, Tafa gave his opinion on his opponent’s brother.

He said that he would be very keen on the idea of facing both of them during his UFC tenure which would be possible with his aspirations of competing at 205-pounds.

“Yeah preparation is good, watched a little bit of tape but yeah, I’d like to fight both of the Walker brothers if I could. I want to campaign down to light heavyweight and his brother would like to come after too.”

Tafa then clarified that he has no personal vendetta against this particular family or the fighters they produce and if anything, wants to fight them because he’s a fan of what they do.

“I’m a fan of their fighting style, they’re cool cats you know but, be cool to do both of them ay.”

Read also: VIDEO: Israel Adesanya, Dricus Du Plessis, Dan Hooker, & More Complete Open Workouts Ahead Of UFC 305

Continue Reading Junior Tafa On Fighting Johnny Walker’s Brother At UFC 305: ‘I’d Like To Fight Both The Walker Brothers…’ at MMA News.

Tom Aspinall Pays Rich Tribute To Israel Adesanya Ahead Of UFC 305: ‘I Have Learned A Lot Just From Watching Him…’

Tom Aspinall recently heaped praise on Israel Adesanya, expressing admiration for the former UFC middleweight champion’s fighting style and acknowledging how much he has learned from studying his techniques. “The Last Stylebender” is gearing up to make his comeback to the Octagon and challenge reigning middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis in the headlining bout of […]

Continue Reading Tom Aspinall Pays Rich Tribute To Israel Adesanya Ahead Of UFC 305: ‘I Have Learned A Lot Just From Watching Him…’ at MMA News.

Tom Aspinall recently heaped praise on Israel Adesanya, expressing admiration for the former UFC middleweight champion’s fighting style and acknowledging how much he has learned from studying his techniques.

“The Last Stylebender” is gearing up to make his comeback to the Octagon and challenge reigning middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis in the headlining bout of the upcoming pay-per-view event, scheduled for August 17 at the RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia.

After suffering a shocking title loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 last September, the Nigerian-born Kiwi took a voluntary sabbatical to prioritize his mental health. Now, after 11 months of reflection and recovery, he’s returning to active competition with a renewed focus.

Adesanya is regarded as one of the most dominant middleweight champions in UFC history, boasting five successful title defenses. However, Izzy’s fortunes have taken a downturn in the past couple of years, starting with his first-ever middleweight defeat—a dramatic fifth-round TKO at the hands of his arch-nemesis, Alex Pereira, at UFC 281 in November 2022.

As an expert in distance control and fluid striking himself, Aspinall holds a deep respect for the finesse that defines Adesanya’s elite fighting style…

Aspinall Says Adesanya’s Style Is From ‘Different Universe’

During a recent interview with TNT Sports, Aspinall broke down how Adesanya expertly dismantles his opponents with a unique blend of unorthodox striking, a key factor behind his success in the Octagon.

The interim UFC heavyweight champion expressed profound respect for Adesanya and said that he has even incorporated elements of it into his own game.

“Israel Adesanya, such contrasting styles and by the way, if you’re not an Izzy fan, what are you?” Aspinall said. “I mean, the guy’s an absolute technician. The thing with Izzy is the styles are so different, they’re on different universes, you know what I mean? They’re never mind a different spectrum. The way that Izzy fights is he has his hands low a bit, and he will constantly keep you guessing. But because he’s so long—6’4” at middleweight is so tall for a middleweight—he’ll do this kind of stuff a lot. He’s so good with his kicks; he fakes with the legs as well, so he’ll be doing a lot of this, then he’ll be coming up.

We’ve seen him with his chopping leg kicks, we’ve seen him with the high kicks. He’s just so long, and he reads the fight so well. He’s had so many fights now as well. I’ve learned a lot just from watching him, do you know what I mean?”

Aspinall also offered his prediction for the upcoming clash between Du Plessis and Adesanya. He suggested that “Stillknocks” will have a tough time keeping up with the elusive former champ, likely ending up on the receiving end of some devastating, fight-altering strikes as he tries to close the distance.

“I would say it’s almost like the bull and the matador, this fight. It’s like we’ve got the bull in DDP [Du Plessis]; he’s coming forward, you know what you’re going to get with him—he’s closing the space, trying to kill you. On the other hand, he’s [Adesanya] staying out of the way, doing his feints, and it’s just such a contrast of styles. As a massive fan of MMA myself, I just can’t wait to see it.”

“The Last Stylebender” is on the verge of making history. A victory on Saturday night could see him join the ranks of the legendary Randy Couture by securing an undisputed title in a third division—an achievement that would undoubtedly cement his legacy as one of the sport’s all-time greats.

Continue Reading Tom Aspinall Pays Rich Tribute To Israel Adesanya Ahead Of UFC 305: ‘I Have Learned A Lot Just From Watching Him…’ at MMA News.

VIDEO: Israel Adesanya, Dricus Du Plessis, Dan Hooker, & More Complete Open Workouts Ahead Of UFC 305

The top stars set to be in action at UFC 305 this weekend took to the stage on Thursday for the open workouts in Perth. Mixed martial arts’ leading promotion is Down Under for the first time this year, returning to Perth, Australia, 18 months on from the Alexander Volkanovski-headlined UFC 284 event in February […]

Continue Reading VIDEO: Israel Adesanya, Dricus Du Plessis, Dan Hooker, & More Complete Open Workouts Ahead Of UFC 305 at MMA News.

The top stars set to be in action at UFC 305 this weekend took to the stage on Thursday for the open workouts in Perth.

Mixed martial arts’ leading promotion is Down Under for the first time this year, returning to Perth, Australia, 18 months on from the Alexander Volkanovski-headlined UFC 284 event in February 2023.

While that occasion saw the lightweight gold on the line, championship stakes on August 17 will come at middleweight, with reigning kingpin Dricus Du Plessis putting his belt on the line for the first time against Oceania’s own Israel Adesanya.

Before “The Last Stylebender” shoots for a historic third title crowning in the main event, his City Kickboxing teammate Kai Kara-France will return from a lengthy layoff to share the cage with Perth’s own Steve Erceg in a crucial co-headlining flyweight contest.

Elsewhere on the main card, fan favorite Dan Hooker gets the chance to climb into the top five at 155 pounds by stalling the title ambitions of Mateusz Gamrot, hard-hitting Aussie Tai Tuivasa throws down with Jairzinho Rozenstruik, and “The Leech” Li Jingliang makes his comeback opposite the fast-charging Carlos Prates.

The event will be available exclusively on ESPN+ pay-per-view on Saturday, August 17, 2024. The main card begins at 10 PM ET, while the preliminary card kicks off at 6 PM ET.

Ahead of it, a number of UFC 305 fighters appeared for the open workouts at the Crown Nightclub in Perth Works on Thursday. You can check out a selection of highlights from the various workouts below:

Israel Adesanya

Dricus Du Plessis

Steve Erceg

Dan Hooker:

Tai Tuivasa

Continue Reading VIDEO: Israel Adesanya, Dricus Du Plessis, Dan Hooker, & More Complete Open Workouts Ahead Of UFC 305 at MMA News.

Israel Adesanya Insists Sean Strickland Loss Didn’t ‘Shake’ Him Ahead Of UFC 305 Return: ‘I’ve Been Here Before’

Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is no stranger to bouncing back from setbacks, and he’s confident of doing so again. Adesanya is currently coming off the third loss of his Octagon career — a shock decision defeat to Sean Strickland in Sydney last September. The result brought the Nigerian-New Zealander’s sophomore title reign […]

Continue Reading Israel Adesanya Insists Sean Strickland Loss Didn’t ‘Shake’ Him Ahead Of UFC 305 Return: ‘I’ve Been Here Before’ at MMA News.

Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is no stranger to bouncing back from setbacks, and he’s confident of doing so again.

Adesanya is currently coming off the third loss of his Octagon career — a shock decision defeat to Sean Strickland in Sydney last September. The result brought the Nigerian-New Zealander’s sophomore title reign to a quick end and served as the catalyst for a break.

Now, 11 months later, “The Last Stylebender” is back on the hunt.

Adesanya will headline this weekend’s UFC 305 pay-per-view event in competition for the 185-pound gold, now held by his rival Dricus Du Plessis.

The pair will now do battle inside the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, and many are keen to see how Adesanya performs following such a dominant loss last time out.

Du Plessis, on his part, has suggested the Nigerian-New Zealander already has one foot out the door toward retirement. Some others, meanwhile, have questioned if the recent break will be enough to prevent Adesanya putting in the same lackluster performance that sent him to defeat opposite Strickland.

But when it comes to rebounding from a poor result and showing he’s got plenty left to give at the top of the division, Adesanya has reminded his detractors that UFC 305 is far from his first rodeo…

Adesanya On UFC 305 Comeback: ‘I’m Going To Smoke This Fool’

During a recent interview with Stake, Adesanya looked ahead to his return to action and reflected on his year away from the Octagon.

“The Last Stylebender” acknowledged the importance of his time off and insisted he’s now ready to jump back on the train. And in terms of those doubting his ability to do so successfully, Adesanya vowed to prove them wrong by ‘smoking’ Du Plessis come fight night.

“This is the longest layoff in my whole fighting career. I kind of got forced into taking a break because my body needed it,” Adesanya said. “Not because of the fights, but the training camps. My mind, body and spirit needed it, and I’m glad I got the break I needed and reset myself, reaffirm myself. Let’s go!

“My team is everything you need. I’m a friendly guy and a lot of the people I connect with feel like they’ve known me for years, but my team are the ones who will always be around me because they understand me,” Adesanya continued. “I’ve been here before, I’ve lost before and I know how things change, so for me, the defeat didn’t shake me. You watch this…I’m going to smoke this fool. I’ve been here before, but I’ll play the game a little differently this time.”

Adesanya will look to prove as much by righting that wrong from last September in his return on Australian soil this weekend.

Should he accomplish that feat, “The Last Stylebender” would add another historic achievement to his record by becoming the first-ever three-time middleweight champ in UFC history.

And should he do so in the kind of fashion he’s envisioning, the commentary booth could have another highlight to add to its reel.

Continue Reading Israel Adesanya Insists Sean Strickland Loss Didn’t ‘Shake’ Him Ahead Of UFC 305 Return: ‘I’ve Been Here Before’ at MMA News.