UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya 2 | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Roe Jogan
- 1 hour ago
- 4 min read
Introduction
UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya 2 took place on Saturday, August 17, 2024 at the RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia. It was Israel Adesanya's final UFC title fight and the first major UFC card held in Perth since UFC 284 in February 2023. Dricus du Plessis retained the middleweight title via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) in a dominant performance that closed Adesanya's title-chasing career. The card produced an estimated 550,000 pay-per-view buys.
Du Plessis controlled all five rounds. His wrestling pressure and clinch work neutralised Adesanya's range-and-counter game consistently — the same pattern that Strickland had used at UFC 293, now executed with greater wrestling efficiency. The Perth crowd — pro-Adesanya — watched one of their adopted heroes lose a unanimous decision for the second consecutive time.
Contents
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, August 17, 2024
📍 Venue: RAC Arena, Perth, Western Australia
👥 Attendance: 15,065 (full capacity)
📺 PPV Buys: ~550,000
🏆 Main Event: Dricus du Plessis (c) vs. Israel Adesanya — UFC Middleweight Championship (185 lbs)
✅ Result: Du Plessis def. Adesanya via Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)
🥇 Co-Main: Carlos Ulberg def. Jamahal Hill via Unanimous Decision (30-27 ×3) — Light Heavyweight
The Build-Up
Israel Adesanya had lost his second middleweight title at UFC 293 in Sydney in September 2023. UFC 305 was his immediate title chase — a chance to reclaim the belt from du Plessis in Perth, which has become a second home for the Nigerian-New Zealand fighter. He was a -135 favourite. Du Plessis was +110.
The stylistic matchup was the most-discussed of the 2024 middleweight division: du Plessis's wrestling-centric pressure against Adesanya's range-and-counter. Strickland had demonstrated that relentless forward pressure and high volume was the blueprint to beating Adesanya; du Plessis added wrestling takedown threats to that blueprint. The fight was framed as: could Adesanya solve the problem that had beaten him twice?
Main Event: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya 2
Du Plessis dominated. He used his wrestling pressure to score takedowns in rounds one, three, and five, and his volume striking in rounds two and four to control the standing exchanges. Adesanya's range-and-counter game created moments in round two and round four — clean counter left hooks that wobbled du Plessis on both occasions — but the champion absorbed the shots and resumed his pressure. The wobble moments were the most dangerous sequences Adesanya created; they were not enough to swing rounds.
Final scorecards: 49-46, 49-46, 49-46. A unanimous decision for Dricus du Plessis. His first title defense after the UFC 297 title win was complete. Adesanya announced a hiatus from MMA after the fight. His career record stands at 24-4 at the time of writing.
Co-Main Event: Ulberg vs. Hill
Carlos Ulberg, the New Zealand-born light heavyweight, produced a dominant performance over former champion Jamahal Hill. Ulberg used his reach and his volume combination striking to win all three rounds; Hill's forward pressure could not breach the New Zealander's jab-heavy defence. Final scorecards: 30-27, 30-27, 30-27. The win positioned Ulberg as the leading light heavyweight contender after Prochazka in the post-Pereira era.
Perth-born welterweight Jack Della Maddalena won his main-card bout on home soil, extending his unbeaten UFC run in front of his local fanbase. The crowd response to his win was one of the most passionate of the night.
Full Results
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Dricus du Plessis (c) def. Israel Adesanya — Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) — Middleweight Title
Carlos Ulberg def. Jamahal Hill — Unanimous Decision (30-27 ×3) — Light Heavyweight
Jack Della Maddalena def. Gilbert Burns — Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) — Welterweight
Manel Kape def. Steve Erceg — KO (punches) — R3, 4:50 — Flyweight
Justin Tafa def. Austen Lane — KO (punches) — R1, 0:24 — Heavyweight
Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+)
Tyson Pedro def. Modestas Bukauskas — KO (punches) — R1, 1:37 — Light Heavyweight
Josh Culibao def. Nazim Sadykhov — TKO (punches) — R1, 4:48 — Featherweight
Jamie Mullarkey def. John Makdessi — KO (punches) — R1, 0:40 — Lightweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Performance of the Night: Dricus du Plessis — $50,000 for the dominant unanimous-decision win over Israel Adesanya.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Justin Tafa — $50,000 for the 24-second KO of Austen Lane.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Jack Della Maddalena — $50,000 for the unanimous-decision win over Gilbert Burns on home soil in Perth.
Records & Milestones
• Du Plessis's first successful middleweight title defense — moving his title-fight record to 2-0 in the UFC.
• Adesanya's career record at the UFC middleweight title level: 6-3 (two Whittaker wins, Paulo Costa, Vettori 2, Brunson 2, versus losses to Strickland and du Plessis twice).
• The blueprint that beat Adesanya confirmed: high-volume forward pressure + wrestling threat = the counter to his range game. Three consecutive title losses (Strickland, du Plessis 1, du Plessis 2) all shared the same tactical framework.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 305 is remembered as the formal close of Israel Adesanya's UFC title-chasing career and the confirmation of Dricus du Plessis as a genuine middleweight era champion. The 49-46 sweep confirmed that du Plessis's wrestling-pressure hybrid game was too complete for Adesanya's range-based approach. Adesanya announced a hiatus and has not competed since.
For du Plessis, UFC 305 was the first of two consecutive successful title defenses (Adesanya, Strickland 2 at UFC 312 in February 2025). He has remained the UFC middleweight champion into mid-2025 with a 23-2 career record.
FAQ
Did Adesanya retire after UFC 305?
He announced a hiatus — not a formal retirement. He described needing time away to reset mentally and physically after three consecutive title losses. As of mid-2025, he has not competed again. His career record stands at 24-4, with the four losses coming at middleweight to Pereira (UFC 281), Strickland (UFC 293), and du Plessis twice (UFC 297 and UFC 305).
How does UFC 305 compare to UFC 304?
UFC 305 drew approximately 550,000 PPV buys versus UFC 304 (700,000) three weeks earlier — a 150,000-buy drop reflecting the Australian time zone's lower North American PPV penetration and the perception that Adesanya's title challenge was a long shot after the Strickland loss.
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