Australia And New Zealand Breakdown | UFC 305

The Scoop: Former two-time middleweight champion Israel Adesanya returns to the Octagon this Saturday with a chance to reclaim his throne against bitter rival and current 185-pound champ Dricus Du Plessis. Adesanya is considered one of the greatest middleweights to ever do it, and for good reason. After finishing Robert Whittaker to earn his first title in 2019, Adesanya successfully defended the belt five times, picking up wins over Yoel Romero, Paulo Costa, Marvin Vettori, Whittaker and Jared Cannonier.

Order UFC 305: Du Plessis vs Adesanya

He then lost his title to Brazilian superstar Alex Pereira but avenged his loss in emphatic fashion just five months later. Now a contender once again, Adesanya can claim the belt for the third time in his career against Du Plessis, adding another significant milestone to his legacy.

Kai Kara-France

Division: Flyweight

Birthplace: Auckland, New Zealand

Professional Record: 24-11, 1 NC

Streak: L2

The Scoop: In the span of a year, Kai Kara-France earned first-round knockout victories over Rogério Bontorin and former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt and earned a unanimous decision win over Askar Askarov. This hot stretch earned him a shot at interim flyweight gold against Brandon Moreno. After losing to the former 125-pound champ, the Kiwi suffered his second setback in a five-round battle with Amir Albazi. Now, Kara-France has a chance to climb right back into title contention with a win in Saturday’s co-main event against Steve Erceg, who’s coming off a title shot of his own this past May.

Steve Erceg

Division: Flyweight

Birthplace: Perth, Western Australia

Professional Record: 12-2

Streak: L1

The Scoop: The latest flyweight title challenger, Steve Erceg, returns to his hometown for the first time in his UFC career this Saturday against Kara-France in a high-flying co-main event at UFC 305. Erceg is coming off a decision loss to flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja in UFC 301’s main event in May but entered that fight riding an impressive 11-fight win streak. Perth’s hometown kid could make his case for a rematch with the champion if he gets through City Kickboxing’s star flyweight.

Dan Hooker

Division: Lightweight

Birthplace: Auckland, New Zealand

Professional Record: 23-12

Streak: W2

The Scoop: The younger of the two Tafa brothers, Junior will look to return to the win column this Saturday when he faces Valter Walker in an intriguing heavyweight matchup. Tafa rebounded from defeat in his UFC debut with a Performance of the Night-earning first-round knockout over Parker Porter around this time last year. After a short-notice bout didn’t go his way in February, Tafa has a chance to secure his second UFC win against promotional newcomer Walker, who is the brother of UFC light heavyweight contender Johnny Walker.

Josh Culibao

Division: Featherweight

Birthplace: Sydney, Australia

Professional Record: 11-3-1

Streak: L2

The Scoop: Featherweight Josh Culibao has dropped his last two fights inside the Octagon, but he returns to the same arena where he picked up his biggest UFC win to date – a second-round submission over Melsik Baghdasaryan at UFC 284. The Aussie also holds UFC wins over SeungWoo Choi and Shayilan Nuerdanbieke, and a fourth could be on the horizon when he faces Ricardo Ramos at UFC 305.

Casey O'Neill

Division: Flyweight

Birthplace: Irvine, Scotland (Fighting out of Gold Coast, Australia)

Professional Record: 9-2

Streak: L2

The Scoop: Casey O’Neill entered 2023 as one of the flyweight division’s hottest prospects with a perfect 9-0 record. But after she won her fourth fight in the Octagon, it was time for a step up in competition against Top 15 opponents. Despite losing her first two meetings with ranked opposition, she gained valuable experience against elite talent. That experience could be crucial at UFC 305 when O’Neill faces the surging Luana Santos, who is stepping in on short notice for Tereza Bleda. It’s a perfect opportunity for O’Neill to capitalize on Santos' hype and revive her climb toward the top of the 125-pound division.

Jack Jenkins

Division: Featherweight

Birthplace: Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, Australia

Professional Record: 12-3

Streak: L1

The Scoop: RAC Arena is also a favorable venue for Jack Jenkins, who secured his debut victory against Don Shainis in the UFC’s last trip to Perth. He makes his return to the Octagon 11 months after suffering a gruesome arm injury against Chepe Mariscal at UFC 292. Prior to the injury, Jenkins was riding a nine-fight win streak, and he can reignite his career with a win over Herbert Burns this Saturday.

Tom Nolan

Division: Lightweight

Birthplace: Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia (Fighting out of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia)

Professional Record: 7-1

Streak: W1

The Scoop: Last, but not least, is undefeated UFC newcomer Stewart Nicoll. In his eight professional fights, Nicoll has seen the judges’ scorecards only once. He has secured four knockout wins and three submission victories, with five of those finishes coming in the first round. Nicoll opens Saturday’s card against Jesus Aguilar, a formidable test for his UFC debut. Securing a win on such a significant stage at UFC 305 could give Nicoll’s early UFC career a major boost.