In his first title defense, Dricus du Plessis forced Israel Adesanya to tap in the fourth round as a locked-in rear-naked choke brings the middleweight title back to South Africa.
Adesanya looked to be in control of the match, as his striking kept Du Plessis at bay for much of the match. However, continued flurries from the champion opened up an opportunity to take Adesanya down, which resulted in the win.
There were 12 fights on the card in Perth, including big wins from Kai Kara-France and Dan Hooker. Here's everything that went down at UFC 305.
The fight card
Middleweight championship: Dricus Du Plessis (c) def. Israel Adesanya
Men's flyweight: Kai Kara-France def. Steve Erceg
Lightweight: Dan Hooker def. Mateusz Gamrot
Heavyweight: Jairzinho Rozenstruik def. Tai Tuivasa
Welterweight: Carlos Prates def. Li Jingliang
Heavyweight: Valter Walker def. Junior Tafa
Featherweight: Ricardo Ramos def. Josh Culibao
Women's flyweight: Casey O'Neill def. Luana Santos
Featherweight: Jack Jenkins def. Herbert Burns
Lightweight: Tom Nolan def. Alex Reyes
Welterweight: Song Kenan def. Ricky Glenn
Men's flyweight: Jesus Aguilar def. Stewart Nicoll
(c) = defending champion
'It's the old Izzy, but also old Izzy'
By the time Adesanya steps into the cage, his sabbatical will have lasted just over 11 months. His hiatus included two months when he didn't step in a gym for "his own sanity."
"I had no idea how long I'd be gone, but I knew it wasn't going to be until 2027," Adesanya said. "That was a joke. Don't worry. I'm back now."
The time away allowed the 35-year-old to rethink how to be a professional athlete, along with finding the proper motivation to get into the Octagon, before his fire to compete could be completely extinguished.
"Heavy is the head that wears the crown, and I have both a big ass head and a big ass crown," Adesanya said.
Hale: At UFC 305, a motivated Israel Adesanya is back
Storylines: Adesanya-Du Plessis rivalry, heavyweight slobber knockers, more
When the eight-sided cage returns to Australia on Saturday, the former two-time champ will challenge Dricus Du Plessis in the main event of UFC 305 in Perth. On the line will be not just a shiny strap but the pride of a continent 5,000 miles away, as both fighters are rooted in Africa, though with far different life experiences.
That's the genesis of just one of several intriguing storylines that will play out this weekend. Here are five things to watch for at UFC 305.
Wagenheim: UFC 305 storylines - Can Adesanya reclaim the middleweight crown?
Burning fire drives Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya
When South Africa's Dricus "Stillknocks" du Plessis was awarded the UFC middleweight belt in January, beating Sean Strickland in a split decision, his first request was: "Bring me my flag."
Grabbing the Rainbow nation's colors was a moment of symbolic significance for his gym, CIT Performance Institute, which he co-owns with longtime friends and training partners Claudia and JT Botha, and all the work they're doing to grow the sport at home.
Du Plessis, sitting on a box jump cube, post-workout, told ESPN: "The flag represents to me that this is not just my title -- this is the country's title -- the flag represents the amazing support I've been getting, and we've been getting.
Solms: Du Plessis will defend 'the country's' UFC belt against Adesanya
Rest, reset and golf: Inside Israel Adesanya's 11-month hiatus
But rewind back to 2023 as Adesanya and du Plessis looked set to meet before the year was out, or at least early in 2024, and the Nigerian-born New Zealander's shocking loss to Sean Strickland took the prospect of that matchup off the table.
Just like that, Adesanya was gone.
"That was definitely the straw that broke the camel's back, because it's not just the fights, it's the camp as well, the training. That's what really got to me, and my body just wasn't right," Adesanya told ESPN of his decision to step away from the sport.
Bruce: Inside the 'leveling up' of Israel Adesanya
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