The UFC is going ‘down under’.
Not in the business sense though as the MMA world leader has announced its annual pay-per-view event in Australia. The UFC broke the news on Wednesday night, revealing that UFC 305 will take place on Aug. 17 (Aug. 18 locally) from the RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia.
Details regarding ticket pre-sale and the fights in question have to yet to be announced as the upcoming card is still four months away.
Matchmaking The UFC’s Return To Australia
We're going back down under! #UFC305 is headed to Perth! 🇦🇺
Find out more info here: https://t.co/UocfFnJYgJ @WestAustralia | #WAtheDreamState pic.twitter.com/ULBOmVgfOk
— UFC (@ufc) March 28, 2024
With UFC 305 being a blank canvas, we try to paint what the card could look like and check who might be available for the promotion’s return to Perth.
(C) Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya
Ever since he won the title from Sean Strickland at UFC 297, new UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis has been pushing for a never-been-done UFC event in Africa later this year. The South African fighter wants to defend the strap in a grudge match against Nigerian-born Israel Adesanya.
While UFC boss Dana White has expressed interest in the DDP’s wish, that’s uncharted territory for the promotion and perhaps, a bit too early to make it happen in 2024.
That’s not to say that UFC Africa isn’t a possibility, but Du Plessis headlining against Kiwi star Adesanya in Australia is a more realistic option.
(C) Ilia Topuria vs. Alexander Volkanovski II
A featherweight title rematch between Ilia Topuria and Alexander Volkanovski could either headline or co-headline UFC 305. Just like Du Plessis, Spain’s newly-crowned king Topuria also wants to defend his title on home soil. If UFC Spain isn’t what’s next for ‘El Matador’, then it may be Australia’s greatest MMA champion who awaits him in ‘the land down under’.
In Los Angeles his last time out, the undefeated Topuria dethroned Volkanovski at UFC 298 with a volley of strikes. The now-former champ seeks to run it back against Topuria, but not without taking some much-needed rest first.
A return to action in August may end up being A-OK for Alexander ‘The Great’.
Sean Strickland vs. Jared Cannonier II
Sean Strickland considers himself an ‘honorary Australian’ after flying overseas to fight then-champion Israel Adesanya in Sydney last year. It was at UFC 293, where the short-notice Strickland put on a performance for the ages against ‘The Last Stylebender’, beating Adesanya over the distance in a dominant decision.
Strickland lost his title to Du Plessis since then, but not his fanbase. The controversial contender received a lot of love in Sydney, so why not do that again in a potential title eliminator against Jared Cannonier? The two middleweights have already crossed paths before with Cannonier edging out Strickland on the scorecards, a result that ‘Tarzan’ still disagrees with to this very day.
Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Jack Della Maddalena
A title eliminator between Shavkat Rakmonov and Jack Della Maddelena feels almost destined to happen in Perth at this point. Della Maddalena is coming off the biggest win of his career— a comeback TKO over former title challenger Gilbert Burns at UFC 299.
JDM and Rakhmonov both find themselves on the sidelines dealing with injuries. The top-ranked welterweights should be good to go by the end of the summer, potentially against each other.
Steve Erceg Homecoming?
Title shots usually don’t come out of left field, but it did for ‘Astroboy’ Steve Erceg. The 28-year-old is slated to face flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301 in Brazil. Should Erceg capture the title behind enemy lines, a home game would be a no-brainer for the Western Australian.
Saying that, Erceg will have already fought twice by the time UFC 305 rolls around, so we’ll see if he makes the speedy turnaround.
