Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya are scheduled to meet in a big bout for the UFC middleweight title on Saturday (10 p.m. ET, ESPN+ PPV) in Perth, Australia at UFC 305. New champion du Plessis still faces skepticism despite his unbeaten UFC record.
Many consider Adesanya the rightful no.1, having once dominated the division, and for him, this fight is about reclaiming the title and proving his loss to Sean Strickland was a fluke, while du Plessis is looking to beat Adesanya to cement his legitimacy as champion and silence the doubters for good.
BetMGM has the fight as a longshot, with du Plessis a slim favorite at -105 to defend his 185-pound belt, while Adesanya is priced at -115 to become a third-time middleweight champion.
Keep track of everything happening in Perth with our live tracker below.
UFC 305 Live Tracker
Live50 Update
Saturday, August 17, 2024 at 7:30 PM PDT
A nasty KO from Prates. It was brutal.
— Peter Carroll (@PetesyCarroll) August 18, 2024
Saturday, August 17, 2024 7:29 PM PDT Saturday, August 17, 2024 7:27 PM PDT Saturday, August 17, 2024 7:26 PM PDT
Great round from Pratt & Schneider! Finding the target steadily! #UFC305
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) August 18, 2024
Saturday, August 17, 2024 at 7:25 PM PDT
Round 1 Ends
Lee and Plates fought, with Plates winning in the first round. Plates fought back, hurting Lee multiple times and knocking him down twice, but “The Hill” was tough and managed to get back up after three knockdowns.
Saturday, August 17, 2024 at 7:10 PM PDT
Up next: Li Jingliang (+300) vs. Carlos Prates (-375) at welterweight
About the Fighter: At one time, “The Hill” was poised to become China’s hottest MMA fighter. His recent 1-1 record is not great, but he hasn’t had many easy fights in the past five years. Platz is a new face in the welterweight division, dominating opponents since appearing on Dana White’s Contender Series last year. Always looking to finish, he hasn’t seen a scorecard in a fight in nearly five years.
Why it matters: Prates is looking like the future, while Jingliang is starting to look like the past. It won’t be an easy fight, as Jingliang’s strength is never in doubt, but if Prates is who the UFC expects him to be, this is his chance to prove it and land another shot.
Saturday, August 17, 2024 at 7:00 PM PDT
The UFC 305 main card begins!
Catch live updates of all the fights from the pay-per-view at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia right here.
Saturday, August 17, 2024 6:57 PM PDT Saturday, August 17, 2024 6:53 PM PDT
Walter Walker won with a heel hook and threatened to wipe out the entire Tafa gene line. In truth, it was just a normal night in MMA.
— Ben Fowlkes (@benfowlkesMMA) August 18, 2024
Saturday, August 17, 2024 at 6:50 PM PDT
Result: Walter Walker defeated Junior Tafa by submission (heel hook) at 4:56 of the first round
Saturday, August 17, 2024, 6:48 PM PDT
Uniform Rule: “Verbal Tap-Out: When a player verbally informs the referee that he does not want to continue in the match or makes an audible sound, such as a cry, indicating pain or discomfort.”#UFC305
— Trent Reinsmith (@TrentReinsmith) August 18, 2024
Saturday, August 17, 2024 at 6:48 PM PST Saturday, August 17, 2024 at 6:48 PM PST
After the match, Tafa slapped Walker.
Tafa was not happy with the referee’s decision to stop the bout, even though he was screaming in pain during the submission.
Saturday, August 17, 2024, 6:46 PM PDT
Walker applies a leg lock and makes Tafa tap out!
With 10 seconds left in the first round, Walker landed a heel hook on Tafa, after which Tafa verbally tapped out.
Saturday, August 17, 2024 at 6:40 PM PDT
Next up: Junior Tafa (-115) vs. Walter Walker (-105)
Saturday, August 17, 2024, 6:37 PM PDT
Clibao completely abandoned the match. His opponent was in a terrible state and it was almost over, but he let his opponent escape. This was an easily avoidable mistake. A costly mistake. https://t.co/79O6jh6qWf
— Luke Thomas 🏋️♀️ (@lthomasnews) August 18, 2024
Saturday, August 17, 2024, 6:34 PM PDT
Result: Ricardo Ramos defeats Josh Curivao by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Saturday, August 17, 2024, 6:31 PM PDT
Round 3 End
A very interesting battle to score.
A lot will depend on how the judges score in the third round.
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) August 18, 2024
Saturday, August 17, 2024 at 6:27 PM PDT Saturday, August 17, 2024 at 6:26 PM PDT
Round 2 Ends
Curivao makes a big comeback. The match goes into the final round with the momentum in Curivao’s favor.
UFC 305: Drix du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya
Saturday, August 17, 2024 – RAC Arena, Perth, Australia
Main Card (10 p.m. ET, ESPN+ PPV)
Preliminaries (8 p.m. ET, ESPN+)
Early Qualifiers (Start time 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+)
