Biggest Winners (And Loser) From UFC 305

UFC 305 went down final evening (Sat., July 17, 2024) inside RAC Enviornment in Perth, Western Australia, that includes a middleweight title struggle that noticed Dricus du Plessis submit Israel Adesanya through rear-naked choke to earn his first-ever title protection (highlights right here). Within the co-main occasion, Kai Kara-France knocked out hometown favourite, Steve Erceg, within the very first spherical (see it once more right here).

Largest Winner: Dricus Du Plessis

They are saying you aren’t the champion till you safe your first title protection, so “DDP” can now name himself simply that (although he already was), after forcing “The Final Stylebender” to faucet within the fourth spherical. Du Plessis weathered the storm a couple of instances after it appeared Adesanya was discovering his groove and connecting on his strikes. Undeterred, “Stillknocks” hung powerful, caught to his recreation plan and ultimately began connecting together with his personal photographs within the fourth spherical. That allowed him to go to his takedowns and ultimately sink in a rear-naked choke on his second try. With an enormous win over “The Final Stylebender” in his pocket, “DDP” ups his win streak to 10 and has consecutive wins over Adesanya, Sean Strickland and Robert Whittaker, the one man who has the precise to boast that accomplishment.

Largest Winner: Kai Kara-France

In an evening full of huge winners in a not-so stacked pay-per-view (PPV) occasion, Kai Kara-France comes out one of many largest winners due to the impression his victory can have on his profession. Coming into his struggle in opposition to Steve Erceg — who was coming off a title struggle loss to flyweight champion, Alexandre Pantoja — Kara-France was on a two-fight dropping streak and barely hanging on to his No. 4 rating. However the Kiwi put the division, and Erceg, on its head by with an enormous first-round knockout win, his thirteenth such victory. He places himself in nice place to be within the title dialog or, on the very least, a title eliminator struggle subsequent.

Honorable mentions: Carlos Prates and Dan Hooker

Don’t look now, however the welterweight division has a brand new participant on the town. Certain, Prates has simply two wins to date beneath the UFC banner, however they’ve been great outings, incomes back-to-back knockout wins over Charlie Radtke, after which, after all, sleeping Li Jingliang with a powerful left hook final evening (see it once more right here). That’s now 9 straight stoppage wins for “The Nightmare,” who will increase his win streak to 10. To high it off, this win got here on his birthday, in entrance of his daughter, and he took dwelling a cool $50,000 in post-fight bonus cash. It couldn’t have been a greater evening for him.

I’m going to maintain it actual, I didn’t give Hooker (No. 11) a lot of an opportunity in opposition to Mateusz Gamrot, however “The Hangman” got here out like a person possessed and regarded like a very, refreshed fighter. I don’t know if it was all the brand new tattoos he was sporting, or the 12 months off he had in between this struggle, however he regarded nice and dominated the No. 5 ranked light-weight on the earth to win a unanimous resolution. That’s now three straight wins for Hooker, who shall be an enormous leap within the rankings come subsequent week.

Largest Loser: Israel Adesanya and Tai Tuivasa

Adesanya’s championship desires have been as soon as once more squashed after du Plessis compelled him to faucet to a rear-naked choke. It was his second straight defeat, beforehand coughing up his 185-pound strap to Sean Strickland a 12 months in the past. Once we embody his knockout loss to Alex Pereira at UFC 281, Adesanya is simply 1-3 in his final 4 fights. That’s simply not an amazing mark, which leaves him at a crossroads. He can all the time attempt to transfer again as much as gentle heavyweight, however his arch nemesis, Pereira, is the king there and a title struggle gained’t be simple to return by. For now, Adesanya must return to the drafting board as a result of this loss damage.

Look, it wasn’t a horrible efficiency in opposition to Jairzinho Rozenstruik, however the reality stays: Tuivasa has now misplaced 5 straight fights, and has been stopped in his final 4 outings beneath the UFC banner earlier than going the space in opposition to “Bigi Boy.” The final time he had his hand raised was means again in Feb. 2022 when he knocked out Derrick Lewis, which was a part of his five-fight win streak. The place it has gone improper for the hard-hitting large man is unknown, however one thing isn’t clicking. No matter it’s, Tuivasa is in a nasty means in the mean time, and he higher repair it in a rush or he might discover himself out of the UFC for good with one other lose…assuming this defeat isn’t the one which does him in.

For full UFC 305 outcomes, protection, and highlights, click on HERE.