UFC 305 was headlined by a grudge match between middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis and former titleholder Israel Adesanya. But aside from a historic main event that saw two Africans compete for a world title in Perth, Australia, UFC 305 featured several fights that would have significant ramifications on the rankings.
There were emerging stars who needed to answer questions about their future (Du Plessis, Steve Erceg, Carlos Prates), long-tenured fighters seeking to prove their worth (Dan Hooker, Tai Tuivasa, Kai Kara-France) and one of the greatest middleweights of all time looking to recapture past glory (Adesanya).
Did they deliver? More importantly, did the fights deliver the thrills and excitement for the fans?
After each UFC pay-per-view, we break down and assess the quality of each fight and the fight card as a whole based on skill displayed, competitiveness and what is at stake.
Middleweight: Dricus Du Plessis def. Israel Adesanya by fourth-round submission
Grade: A
Du Plessis put a stamp on his current title run by turning back Adesanya in a thrilling back-and-forth battle between the past and present of the middleweight division. It's strange to call Adesanya the past, considering all that he's done in just a few years. However, Du Plessis is certainly the present after demonstrating the ability to dig himself out of what seemed to be a hole in the fourth round to be the first man to submit the "Last Stylebender."
It was a high-level battle between contrasting styles in which both fighters had their moments. But the South African's ability to mix his pressurized striking with wrestling was the key to victory. Each strike was thrown with bad intentions, and every Du Plessis takedown heightened the sense of drama. The arena was rocking, the ebbs and flows were exciting, and the fighters were locked in for every second of the fight. And for it all to culminate with a rear naked choke finish of a former champion? That's an A.
Welterweight: Carlos Prates def. Li Jingliang via second-round KO
Grade: A-
Prates has arrived. It's one thing to beat Li, it's another to completely outclass the man and hand him his first knockout loss. Prates was patient, putting together a striking clinic against Li in which nearly everything he threw caused damage. He almost put Li down several times in the first round but waited for the right time to pounce on his opponent. And once Prates sensed that Li's chin was finally breaking down, he stepped on the gas and finished the job.
The only reason this didn't get an A grade is because it was one-way traffic against a durable opponent who hadn't fought in nearly two years. But it was a striking exhibition that you should go out of your way to watch. Welterweights be warned: Prates is a problem.
Men's flyweight: Kai Kara-France def. Steve Erceg by first-round TKO
Grade: A-
Kai Kara-France is back.
After a year away due to a concussion, Kara-France made an emphatic return by stopping Erceg. It was a much-needed boost for the division as champion Alexandre Pantoja now has a proper opponent. This was expected to be a fight of the night, and "Don't Blink" sent Erceg packing in another first-round finish.
What makes this all the more impressive is that he's the first fighter to stop Erceg, who was a critical error away from beating Pantoja and becoming a flyweight champion.
A statement made with an exceptional performance. Give this man a title fight.
Lightweight: Dan Hooker def. Mateusz Gamrot by split decision
Grade: A-
Gamrot dispelled the notion that he's a boring grappler and Hooker showcased a second wind in his career where he surprisingly neutralized Gamrot's wrestling and halted his opponent's surge up the rankings.
On a night when the majority of the fights were one-sided, Hooker and Gamrot gave us drama and excitement and left us guessing when the scorecards were read. There was a time when Hooker had lost four of five fights, and many wondered whether he was on the back end of his career. But he has now ripped off three consecutive wins, with the victory over Gamrot being the best of the bunch.
He hurt Gamrot in the first, valiantly fought off takedown attempts by threatening with guillotine chokes and stayed on the front foot to slug it out with his opponent. To his credit, Gamrot showed marked improvement in the standup and gave it all he had. You should definitely watch this fight.
Flyweight: Jesus Aguilar def. Stewart Nicoll by first-round submission
Grade: B-
An excellent performance marred by a terrible weight-miss on the scales. Aguilar picked up his third consecutive UFC win by putting Nicoll to sleep in front of his countrymen with a guillotine choke. Nicoll started strong, taking Aguilar down and getting the Mexican's back within the first minute. But it was a wrap once Aguilar made it to his feet and jumped the guillotine. Nicoll couldn't escape and Aguilar had to notify the referee that his opponent was unconscious before the fight was halted. Outside of his submission loss to surging prospect Tatsuro Taira, Aguilar may be on the climb in the flyweight division.
Featherweight: Jack Jenkins def. Herbert Burns by third-round TKO
Grade: C+
This grade is all about Burns offering little and has nothing to do with Jenkins' performance. Jenkins' standup was exceptional as he throttled Burns with strikes ranging from a piston-like jab to wicked leg kicks that compromised the Brazilian late in the second round.
Burns' cardio and fight IQ were awful in this fight. After taking Jenkins down in the second round and working on a triangle choke, he inexplicably gave up position in a failed heel hook attempt. From there, Jenkins simply beat him up with body shots that depleted his gas tank by the end of the second round, leaving Burns a sitting duck for the finish. Jenkins went for it, putting Burns down with a bruising combination that was followed by ground and pound. And when Jenkins decided to stand up to continue the punishment, Burns' body language said "no mas" and the fight was halted. It's worth a watch if you want to see some of the fastest hands and best leg kicks in the featherweight division.
Featherweight: Ricardo Ramos def. Josh Culibao by split decision
Grade: C+
This was the most baffling fight of the night thanks to some questionable decision-making by Culibao. The Aussie had the clear striking edge and whipped several damaging left leg kicks into Ramos. But an error in judgment allowed Ramos to get a takedown and nearly finish the fight with a rear naked choke on two occasions. Culibao survived and went to work in the second round, feeding Ramos a steady diet of leg kicks until the Brazilian's leg gave out on him. But instead of forcing Ramos to stand up and put weight on his leg, Culibao toyed in and out of the guard of his downed opponent and allowed him to recover and escape what felt like the end of the fight. Culibao abandoned the leg kicks in the final round, allowed Ramos to take him down and control him, and was upset with the decision when it wasn't read in his favor. Truly a baffling fight that Culibao gave away.
Lightweight: Tom Nolan def. Alex Reyes by unanimous decision
Grade: C
Nolan is only 24 years old and fought like it at times against Reyes. However, the 6-foot-3 lightweight utilized his height and reach advantages to keep his opponent from using his grappling to neutralize Nolan's striking. It was pretty one-sided and there are things that Nolan can improve on as he gains UFC experience, but it was a solid outing that lacked drama, as the Aussie picked up a win in front of his home country.
Heavyweight: Valter Walker def. Junior Tafa via first-round submission
Grade: C
A weird fight with an unsatisfying finish. It started fine with Walker drilling a leg kick and Tafa landing some big shots on the inside. But then it got strange, with Tafa egregiously grabbing the fence when Walker sought to take him down. Walker eventually secured the takedown and fans were greeted with a complete lull. Just when it appeared that Walker would ride it out on the ground until the next round, the Brazilian snapped on a heel hook with 10 seconds left, eliciting a scream from Tafa. The referee stopped the fight, and everyone looked confused while Walker celebrated around the Octagon. For the record, a scream in agony can be accepted by the referee as a verbal submission. Following the stoppage, Tafa was upset and slapped Walker. It was all strange and left everyone watching baffled by what transpired.
Heavyweight: Jairzinho Rozenstruik def. Tai Tuivasa by split decision
Grade: C-
Don't mind the judge who somehow managed to deliver a 30-27 scorecard for Tuivasa. That was not a sign that this fight was remotely close. This was all Rozenstruik from top to bottom. It lacked any semblance of drama and the knockout that so many expected, but Rozenstruik needed to stay in the win column and used a disciplined performance that was more a technical striking clinic than a slugfest the fans desired. Fights between knockout artists are difficult to grade when one of the fighters decides to be clinical, and that's exactly what "Bigi Boy" did. For this not to end with one of the giants going to sleep may be disappointing, but for Rozenstruik, a win in a crowded heavyweight division was a necessity.
Welterweight: Song Kenan def. Ricky Glenn by unanimous decision
Grade: C-
Two fighters who desperately needed a win, and only one showed up ready to fight. The other? Well, he became a punching bag who developed a grotesque hematoma from all the strikes that bounced off his head. If you like seeing people too tough for their own good such as Glenn, this fight is for you. Even though it was one-way traffic, it was disappointing that Kenan couldn't finish the job against an opponent who had absolutely nothing for him.
Flyweight: Casey O'Neill def. Luana Santos by unanimous decision
Grade: D
This was the "there are levels to this" fight of the night. Santos had no answers for O'Neill's striking as she peppered the Brazilian for the duration of the fight. Was it exciting? Not necessarily. Can you skip it and not miss anything? Of course! But O'Neill was dominant and proved she deserves a true step up in competition. It's not O'Neill's fault Santos wasn't up to snuff.
UFC 305 fight card grade: B
After a really slow start on the prelims that had this fight card trending to be a forgettable night, the main card of UFC 305 delivered with an epic middleweight title fight that formally coronated a new king of the middleweights, a thrilling battle between lightweights jockeying for position in the title picture, the emergence of Prates and Kara-France's emphatic statement to fight for the flyweight championship. Skip the prelims and get right to the main card for the action.