In the wake of a disastrous defeat at the hands of Sean Strickland, Israel Adesanya prepares for a shot at cementing his place in the history books at UFC 305. Even as the only fighter to win the middleweight division title twice and the only man to KO light-heavyweight king Alex Pereira, he now chases a bigger end to his story. The stakes have never been higher. This is not just about winning a fight; it’s about identity. A third title at UFC 305 would place him in an elite group of fighters who have transcended the sport, leaving an indelible mark on MMA history.
What’s at stake for Israel at UFC 305?
The journey to this point has been anything but easy. Injuries, personal sacrifices, and tough losses tested Adesanya’s resolve. But each challenge has only strengthened his determination. In a bout with perennial rival Alex Pereira, Israel scored one of the most brutal and spectacular knockouts ever and it looked like he had finally conquered all his demons. A lacklustre performance against Strickland seemed to have soured the fans to the point where Dricus DuPlessis is now a fan favourite.
The South African is bold, tough, resilient, very reckless and is just a little bit of a dick where it melds into a potent potion of knockouts coupled with a bit of slapstick comedy. Dricus is a formidable challenge and presents real threats on the ground if Izzy doesn’t mind his P’s and Q’s. Does Israel have more in the tank? After years of kickboxing and now MMA, the ferryman has to be paid and at 35 years old, how much longer can he keep this up? He hasn’t taken too much damage but the adage of silk sheets and champions looms large over this contest. Either way, this is an intriguing clash where it is rather difficult to predict. But, if history serves correctly and the tape is to be believed, Dricus by submission Round 2.
Erceg returns against a very game Kai Kara France
Stever Erceg makes his way back to the octagon after a spirited effort in a losing bid for the flyweight title. One of the bigger flyweights Erceg is long and uses his reach very well. A crisp, centre-focused boxing attack, sniper-like precision and a nasty ground game mean that Kai Kara France is in for a world of pain. Although the Kiwi is no stranger to nasty knockouts, delivering a few himself, the threat of Erceg’s boxing coupled with a phenomenally good ground game should be too much to handle. Erceg by submission Round 2.
Dan Hooker’s last hurrah or Gamrot’s night?
Don’t let the 23-12 record fool you, Dan Hooker is a killer. He takes on the highly-touted Polish grappler Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 305 and this could go one of two ways. Hooker catches Gamrot diving in one one of his sloppy takedown attempts or Gamrot takes Hooker down and that’s that/ Gamrot does not possess any threats on the feet and relies solely on his grappling to carry him through most fights. Coupled with incredible cardio and relentless takedown attempts, he does present a unique problem for a lot of fighters. Gamrot by UD.
