.Aug 12, 2024, 10:00 AM ETThere's one thing exclusive about a combined fighting styles activity Down Under.Maybe it is actually the moment warp a N. American follower knowledge while viewing fights on TV on a Saturday night and discovering that they're taking place the following morning, local time. That concerns as disorienting as being actually cageside in Australia and recognizing that enthusiasts halfway worldwide are checking out the fights live ... last night.Or perhaps it is actually something else that makes viewing mixed martial arts battles in Australia experience thus unusual. Perhaps it is the battles on their own, which frequently possess multiple exclamation points connected. Any individual adhering to the sporting activity for many years has experienced the truth twists that can rise coming from cage battles within this corner of the Southern Hemisphere.Mark Hunt as well as Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva brought upon a job's worth of heavyweight damages on each other during the course of one memorable evening in Brisbane in 2013. A record-setting night (early morning?) in Sydney a year later on, along with 11 fights and 11 surfaces. And also, naturally, Holly Holm kicking Ronda Rousey off her high horse at UFC 193 in 2015 in Melbourne. That activity set up a company appearance file that stood up till the Octagon was actually brought back to Melbourne in 2019 and also 57,127 packed Wonder Coliseum to view Israel Adesanya knock out Robert Whittaker and also end up being middleweight champion.When the eight-sided crate returns to Australia on Sunday, the former two-time champ will challenge Dricus Du Plessis in the main occasion of UFC 305 in Perth. On the line will certainly be not merely a glossy band however the pride of a continent 5,000 kilometers away, as each boxers are rooted in Africa, though with much different life experiences.That's the origin of merely among numerous appealing stories that will certainly participate in out this weekend. Listed below are 5 things to watch for at UFC 305. That will sway the homeland on a distant coast? 1. Middleweight champion: Dricus Du Plessis (c) vs. Israel AdesanyaIsrael Adesanya squares off with Dricus Du Plessis in the main event at UFC 305. Photo by Will Russell/Zuffa LLCSaturday's centerpiece resides in Western Australia, although the sensitive turf struggle is actually linked to an arrive on the far side of the Indian Sea. Du Plessis was actually born and still stays in South Africa. Adesanya was birthed in Nigeria and relocated with his family to New Zealand when he was actually one decade outdated. Due to those inconsonant life paths, Du Plessis the moment stated, "I am the African boxer in the UFC." That did certainly not sit well with Adesanya, who possesses mentioned his loved ones departed looking for academic opportunities.Editor's Picks1 RelatedIf there is actually a grudge contributed to the currently high-rise stakes, thus be it. It is actually certainly not a needed component to create this an intriguing fight, yet let's not overlook that the last opportunity Adesanya remained in an animosity-fueled match, he designated on Paulo Costa prior to knocking him out in 2020. His one KO since then came against Alex Pereira in 2014, 5 months after Pereira had KO 'd him. So "The Last Stylebender" has actually revealed a crave the get-back, particularly against powerful assailants. Can Adesanya's counterpunching cease the short reign of Du Plessis, who has bulldozed his method to 9 victories in a row?Which rebuilding job will stand tall? 2. Men's flyweight: Kai Kara-France vs. Steve ErcegThe to begin with pair of times Kara-France contended in the UFC, the matches took place in Australia as well as he was sort of the neighborhood man. He's in fact coming from New Zealand, 1,300 miles all over the Tasman Sea, however his opponents were coming from the other side of the planet, the United States as well as Brazil. This time, however, it is actually an away ready Kara-France, as Erceg was actually birthed in Perth and also stays 20 minutes coming from RAC Arena. Erceg has battled in his neighborhood six opportunities, yet all just before his signing with the UFC last summer. He's created merely 4 vacations inside the Octagon as well as presently has actually contended for the 125-pound title.That last point highlights exactly how this fight, like the centerpiece, concerns much more than location. Erceg, 29, was using an 11-fight winning streak when he unsuccessfully tested Alexandre Pantoja in Might. Kara-France, 31, tried for an acting belt in 2022, losing by TKO to ex-champ Brandon Moreno. Both Kara-France as well as Erceg reside in fixing method. A reduction below would not be actually completion of the roadway toward competitor status, but it could send out that boxer on a discouraging detour.Can we all just take pleasure in an opening good time? 3. Big-time: Tai Tuivasa vs. Jairzinho RozenstruikTai Tuivasa looks to finish a four-fight losing streak at UFC 305 on Saturday night. Picture by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC by means of Getty ImagesI experience regretful for nurturing Tuivasa fights as much as I do. Sure, I love watching a finely tuned professional athlete display technological combat capabilities in inflicting damages and also turning off what an enemy can easily toss their way. That is actually the blended fighting styles I'm comfortable being actually a fan of. Yet I just can't turn away coming from a slobber knocker, which is what Tuivasa always promises.Top tales of the week coming from Obtain special access to 1000s of superior articles a year coming from leading article writers. u2022 MLB prophecies: Will Court attacked 60 Humans resources? "u2022 Barnwell: NFL playoff groups to return "u2022 Final CFB preseason SP+ positions" Additional ESPN+ web content ".What the Aussie can certainly not consistently vow, obviously, is his delightfully awful postfight celebration, the shoey. The draft beer and also footwear emerge merely in triumph, as well as Tuivasa has actually lost 4 fights straight. Yet listed here's something deserving of commemorating, even just before the first haymaker is actually affaired through these heavy-handed heavyweights: the matchmaking. Rozenstruik can sway for the fences like Tuivasa, so this one should be actually fun while it lasts.Will this amount improvement succeed? 4. Lightweight: Mateusz Gamrot vs. Dan HookerI was starting to acquire worried for Hooker-- comparable to the nerves of checking out Tony Ferguson contend at 40 years of ages. Whore is just 34 as well as his skid wasn't quite as saddening, yet in the course of a stretch coming from June 2020 by means of March 2022, he lost 4 of five battles, obtaining completed in all yet some of the reductions. It should be actually noted that those defeats came versus Islam Makhachev, Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler and Arnold Allen-- certainly not a tomato can among them. As well as Whore has actually because recuperated along with a set of success over rivals a measure lower on the step ladder (Jalin Turner, Claudio Puelles). The trouble for Whore is that this battle places him right back on top amount of competition. Gamrot has actually succeeded seven of 8 matches and gets on the fringe of the label photo. Will he be actually way too much for Whore, or even will Gamrot receive pushed out of the frame?One fighter's roof is actually another fighter's ... roof? 5. Female's flyweight: Casey O'Neill vs. Luana SantosO'Neill was 9-0 after she won her 4th direct UFC battle in very early 2022, and also onlookers were actually beginning to speculate on where her ceiling was actually. Today she is on a two-fight skid, and the guess work problems how far her falloff could be. At the same time, Santos is 3 fights in to her UFC run, using a five-fight winning touch and seeming like an increasing prospect. This is a suitable examination for both ladies, a degree setter. O'Neill is actually 26 years old, while Santos is simply 24. So their storyline could twist and turn for many years.