An anticipated middleweight championship grudge match between defending champion Dricus Du Plessis and former titleholder Israel Adesanya lived up to the hype in their UFC 305 main event on Saturday.
Despite their animosity towards each other leading into the fight, both took a measured approach before the champ ultimately defended his belt for the first time courtesy of a fourth-round submission.
There were plenty of strong finishes in Perth, Australia's RAC Arena on the day, with the likes of Kai Kara-France and Dan Hooker also picking up statement wins.
Full UFC 305 official results below.
MAIN CARD
Dricus Du Plessis defeats Israel Adesanya via submission at 3:38 of Round 4
The main event lived up to the hype as both middleweights put it all on the line. Du Plessis connected on a flurry of right hooks that sent Adesanya to the ground, then locked in a rear-naked choke to defend his title.
Kai Kara-France defeats Steve Erceg via TKO at 4:04 of Round 1
In a battle between Oceanic fighters, it was the No. 4-ranked flyweight Kara-France (coming off a year-long layoff) who came out victorious, landing a right hand that floored the recent title-challenger Erceg for a 13th career first-round knockout.
Dan Hooker defeats Mateusz Gamrot via unanimous decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
"The Hangman" put the lightweight division on notice, outlasting the No. 5-ranked Gamrot through an all-out brawl — likely leaping up the 155-pound leaderboard from the 11th spot, following a third straight win.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik defeats Tai Tuivasa via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 30-27)
Despite having the boost of fighting on home soil, Tuivasa wasn't able to avoid a fifth consecutive loss and likely dropped even lower than 10th on the heavyweight leaderboard after losing to the No. 12-ranked Rozenstruik.
Carlos Prates defeats Li Jingliang via KO at 4:02 of Round 2
When Prates connected on a left hook that sent Jingliang to the canvas he became the first fighter to knock out the Chinese welterweight — making a statement (on his birthday) as he improved to 3-0 in the UFC, all by stoppage.
PRELIMINARY CARD
Valter Walker defeats Junior Tafa via technical submission at 4:56 of Round 1
What looked to be an entertaining brawl was abruptly brought to an end after the referee ruled a yell by Tafa (while he was in a heel hook) as a verbal tap, putting an end to the contest.
Despite a mild protest from the Aussie, the decision stood, marking the fourth heel hook submission in UFC heavyweight history.
Ricardo Ramos defeats Joshua Culibao via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Thanks to some timely takedowns, Ramos did just enough on the scorecards to pick up a victory over his Australian featherweight opponent and snap a two-fight losing streak.
Casey O'Neill defeats Luana Santos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
A largely dominant performance on home soil, led by patient and precise strikes, earned "King" her first win in over two years and snapped a two-fight skid in the process.
Jack Jenkins defeats Herbert Burns via TKO at 0:48 of Round 3
The Aussie showed off his power in front of the home crowd as he landed some nasty shots on the ground, following a leg kick-right hook combo that sent Burns tumbling, hurting the Brazilian so bad he couldn't get back up.
Following the win, Jenkins called out Gavin Tucker (his original opponent for UFC 305) to fight on November's Fight Night card in Edmonton — a city the Australian says he used to live in.
Tom Nolan defeats Alex Reyes via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Fighting on home soil, "Big Train" made it back-to-back wins while also making it beyond the opening round of a bout for the first time in his UFC career.
Song Kenan defeats Ricky Glenn via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 29-28)
Kenan's precision and counterstrikes proved too much for Glenn on Saturday, as he couldn't avoid losing a third consecutive fight.
Jesús Santos Aguilar defeats Stewart Nicoll via submission at 2:39 of Round 1
It didn't take long for fight fans to see an early stoppage at UFC 305, as Aguilar locked in a guillotine following a ground scramble that put Nicoll to sleep — the Mexican's first submission win in the UFC.
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