The world’s most prolific mixed martial arts promotion is returning to Australia in 2024 for UFC 305: Dricus du Plessis vs Israel Adesanya.
Come August, Perth’s RAC Arena will be the venue for Adesanya‘s return after a close to a year outside of the Octagon. There, the former two-time champion will finally be settle his long-standing feud with South Africa’s inaugural UFC champion in du Plessis — and potentially recapture the middleweight belt for a record third time.
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This clash was initially forecasted to occur at last year’s Sydney-hosted UFC 293 before du Plessis was replaced by Sean Strickland. Adesanya would lose the division title for the second time within the same year in a historic upset.
As it would so happen, Strickland would in turn relinquish the title to du Plessis during his maiden defence at UFC 297; punctuating a rather short-lived reign. And now, we’ve officially come full circle.
“Never stole shine, never lost mine,” reads the caption on a graphic posted by Israel Adesanya, who successfully retained the status of middleweight king across five title defences.
Marking the TKO Group subsidiary’s first pay-per-view event on our sunburnt shores since the aforementioned UFC 293: Israel Adesanya vs Sean Strickland — and the first in Perth since the much-debated UFC 284: Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski — local fight fans will be glad to hear UFC 305: Dricus du Plessis vs Israel Adesanya is just the tip of the iceberg.
And it’s all thanks to a multi-year deal inked by Tourism Western Australia and the UFC.
Between the two events slated to go down at RAC Arena and the promotion’s ongoing $16 million partnership with the NSW government, effectively, we can expect another five Aussie pay-per-view events over the next three years.
“Perth, I am so excited to be coming back!” said UFC President & CEO Dana White.
“After a record-breaking event in 2023, I can’t wait to bring another massive pay-per-view to Western Australia.”
“Perth is a world-class city with some of the most passionate fight fans I’ve ever seen — UFC 305 is going to be incredible!”
WA Premier Roger Cook added: “The return of UFC to Perth in 2024 is a major coup for Western Australia, following the roaring success of UFC 284 that injected millions into our economy last year.”
In total, $42.8 million in economic and flow-on benefits with more than 9,000 international/interstate visitors, according to the press release.
“UFC has proven to be a huge drawcard with a dedicated fan base, and we expect to see thousands of out-of-state visitors travel to Perth to attend this blockbuster.”
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“Western Australia continues to strengthen its reputation for hosting world-class sporting events, and with UFC boasting the best of the best in MMA, UFC 305 represents yet another high calibre spectacle in our events calendar.”
Stay tuned for more details on UFC 305: Dricus du Plessis vs Israel Adesanya (August 18th, 2024).
UFC 305: Dricus du Plessis vs Israel Adesanya (Main Card)
Main event. Five rounds. Middleweight title fight.
- Date: Sunday August 18th, 2024
- Event: UFC 305
- Venue: RAC Arena, Perth
Other confirmed fights include the following:
- Tom Nolan vs Alex Reyes (Lightweight)
- Casey O’Neill vs Tereza Bleda (Women’s Flyweight)
Rumoured fights being negotiated include the following:
- Steve Erceg vs Kai Kara-France (Flyweight)
- Dan Hooker vs Drakkar Klose (Lightweight)
- Alexander Volkanovski vs ??? (Featherweight)
- Jack Della Maddalena vs ??? (Welterweight)
