The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Australia with a middleweight championship fight atop the card.
Both champion and challenger made weight for the main event grudge match. Middleweight titleholder Dricus Du Plessis came in at 185 pounds on the dot, while former champ Israel Adesanya weighed 184 pounds. All other fighters on the 12-fight card also made weight with the exception of would-be flyweight Jesus Santos Aguilar, who came in 1.5 pounds over the limit for his fight against Stewart Nicoll. Aguilar will be fined a percentage of his purse as a result.
Du Plessis (21-2) is undefeated inside the Octagon. The South African fighter is on an impressive nine-fight win streak that includes his title win over Sean Strickland and a TKO shocker over Robert Whittaker. “Stillknocks” is looking to cement his title reign at the young age of 30.
Adesanya (24-3) is looking to bounce back after a lackluster decision defeat to Strickland that saw him lose the belt. “The Last Stylebender” previously split a pair of fights against rival Alex Pereira and had previously won 12 straight UFC fights at middleweight. If victorious, Adesanya will become a three-time champion.
UFC 305 early prelims will air on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass starting at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT on Saturday. Additional prelims then air on ESPN+ and ESPN at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The main card will kick off on ESPN+ pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now!
UFC 305 Weigh-in Results:
Dricus Du Plessis (185) vs. Israel Adesanya (184)
Steve Erceg (125.5) vs. Kai Kara-France (125)
Mateusz Gamrot (156) vs. Dan Hooker (155.5)
Jairzinho Rozenstruik (259) vs. Tai Tuivasa (265)
Jingliang Li (171) vs. Carlos Prates (170)
Junior Tafa (244) vs. Valter Walker (252)
Joshua Culibao (146) vs. Ricardo Ramos (145.5)
Casey O’Neill (125.5) vs. Luana Santos (126)
Herbert Burns (146) vs. Jack Jenkins (145.5)
Tom Nolan (155.5) vs. Alex Reyes (156)
Ricky Glenn (171) vs. Kenan Song (171)
Jesus Santos Aguilar (127.5)* vs. Stewart Nicoll (126)
* Aguilar missed weight by 1.5 pounds and will be fined a percentage of his purse.
