.Aug 12, 2024, 10:00 AM ETThere's something special concerning a mixed martial arts celebration Down Under.Maybe it is actually the time warp a N. American fan adventures while enjoying battles on television on a Sunday evening and also recognizing that they're happening the adhering to morning, true time. That concerns as disorienting as being cageside in Australia as well as recognizing that enthusiasts midway around the globe are seeing the fights reside ... last night.Or maybe it's one thing else that creates enjoying MMA battles in Australia experience so unconventional. Maybe it is actually the battles themselves, which typically have various exclamation factors connected. Any individual adhering to the sport for numerous years has observed the fact spins that can easily emanate coming from cage battles in this particular edge of the Southern Hemisphere.Mark Hunt and Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva inflicted a career's well worth of big-time damage on each other throughout one unforgettable night in Brisbane in 2013. A record-setting evening (early morning?) in Sydney a year eventually, along with 11 battles as well as 11 appearances. And also, obviously, Holly Holm kicking Ronda Rousey off her higher steed at UFC 193 in 2015 in Melbourne. That occasion set up a company presence file that stood up till the Octagon was actually brought back to Melbourne in 2019 and 57,127 filled up Marvel Stadium to enjoy Israel Adesanya knock senseless Robert Whittaker and also become middleweight champion.When the eight-sided cage returns to Australia on Saturday, the former two-time champ will certainly challenge Dricus Du Plessis generally activity of UFC 305 in Perth. On the line will definitely be not simply a shiny strap but the pride of a continent 5,000 miles away, as both fighters are rooted in Africa, though along with far various life experiences.That's the origin of only among numerous appealing stories that are going to play out this weekend. Listed below are actually five factors to expect at UFC 305. That will gain the homeland on a far-off coast? 1. Middleweight championship: Dricus Du Plessis (c) vs. Israel AdesanyaIsrael Adesanya squares off with Dricus Du Plessis generally celebration at UFC 305. Picture through Willpower Russell/Zuffa LLCSaturday's centerpiece remains in Western Australia, although the sensitive territory battle is actually connected to a land on the far edge of the Indian Sea. Du Plessis was birthed and still lives in South Africa. Adesanya was actually birthed in Nigeria and also moved along with his household to New Zealand when he was one decade old. Taking into account those dissimilar lifestyle paths, Du Plessis when proclaimed, "I am actually the African competitor in the UFC." That carried out certainly not sit well with Adesanya, who has said his household moved abroad seeking academic opportunities.Editor's Picks1 RelatedIf there's an animosity contributed to the currently high-rise stakes, so be it. It's certainly not an essential component to create this an intriguing battle, however allowed's not forget that the final opportunity Adesanya remained in an animosity-fueled match, he designated on Paulo Costa before taking him out in 2020. His one KO since then came versus Alex Pereira in 2015, five months after Pereira had KO 'd him. So "The Final Stylebender" has presented a crave the get-back, particularly versus powerful aggressors. Can Adesanya's counterpunching stop the quick supremacy of Du Plessis, that possesses bulldozed his way to nine wins in a row?Which reconstructing job will stand tall? 2. Guy's flyweight: Kai Kara-France vs. Steve ErcegThe to begin with pair of times Kara-France contended in the UFC, the battles happened in Australia and he was actually kind of the neighborhood guy. He's really coming from New Zealand, 1,300 miles across the Tasman Sea, but his enemies were actually coming from the opposite side of the planet, the United States as well as Brazil. This time around, however, it is actually an away ready Kara-France, as Erceg was actually born in Perth and stays twenty minutes coming from RAC Stadium. Erceg has actually dealt with in his home town six times, however all prior to his signing along with the UFC last summertime. He is actually brought in merely 4 excursions inside the Octagon and already has actually competed for the 125-pound title.That last aspect highlights exactly how this fight, like the main event, has to do with more than geographics. Erceg, 29, was actually riding an 11-fight winning streak when he unsuccessfully tested Alexandre Pantoja in May. Kara-France, 31, made a bid for an acting waistband in 2022, dropping by TKO to ex-champ Brandon Moreno. Both Kara-France and also Erceg remain in restoring mode. A reduction here would certainly certainly not be actually the end of the road towards contender status, but it could send that boxer on an inhibiting detour.Can we all merely take pleasure in a swinging great time? 3. Heavyweight: Tai Tuivasa vs. Jairzinho RozenstruikTai Tuivasa wants to end a four-fight losing streak at UFC 305 on Saturday night. Picture through Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC through Getty ImagesI really feel regretful for caring Tuivasa battles as long as I do. Sure, I like viewing a carefully tuned athlete show off technical battle capabilities in causing damages and also stopping what a challenger can easily throw their method. That is actually the combined martial arts I fit being a follower of. Yet I simply can not turn away from a slobber knocker, which is what Tuivasa consistently promises.Top stories of the week coming from Acquire exclusive access to thousands of premium write-ups a year coming from top article writers. u2022 MLB forecasts: Will Judge attacked 60 HRs? "u2022 Barnwell: NFL playoff groups to return "u2022 Final CFB preseason SP+ rankings" Even more ESPN+ content ".What the Aussie may certainly not always promise, of course, is his fantastically disgusting postfight celebration, the shoey. The beer and also shoes emerge simply in victory, and Tuivasa has actually dropped four matches in a row. Yet below's one thing deserving of commemorating, even just before the very first haymaker is affaired by these heavy-handed top cats: the matchmaking. Rozenstruik can sway for the fences like Tuivasa, so this set should be fun while it lasts.Will this amount change prosper? 4. Lightweight: Mateusz Gamrot vs. Dan HookerI was actually starting to obtain anxious for Hooker-- comparable to the nerves of enjoying Tony Ferguson contend at 40 years old. Courtesan is just 34 and also his skid wasn't pretty as unfortunate, yet during the course of an extent from June 2020 via March 2022, he went down four of five battles, getting ended up in every but one of the losses. It ought to be noted that those finishes off happened against Islam Makhachev, Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler as well as Arnold Allen-- not a tomato can easily one of all of them. And Hooker has because bounced back along with a set of success over opponents a measure lower on the ladder (Jalin Turner, Claudio Puelles). The problem for Concubine is actually that this match puts him right back at the top level of competition. Gamrot has actually gained 7 of 8 battles as well as is on the edge of the label picture. Will he be way too much for Woman of the streets, or even will Gamrot receive nudged away from the frame?One fighter's roof is actually an additional fighter's ... ceiling? 5. Women's flyweight: Casey O'Neill vs. Luana SantosO'Neill was actually 9-0 after she succeeded her fourth direct UFC match in early 2022, and also observers were starting to hypothesize on where her ceiling was. And now she gets on a two-fight skid, and the guesswork problems exactly how much her falloff might be. On the other hand, Santos is 3 battles right into her UFC run, using a five-fight winning touch and also appearing like a rising prospect. This is an ideal examination for both girls, a degree setter. O'Neill is 26 years old, while Santos is actually just 24. So their storyline could twist and turn for several years.