UFC 305 Recap: A Night of Surprises and Knockouts

UFC 305 delivered a mix of thrillers and disappointments, leaving fans with plenty to talk about. Here’s a rundown of the night’s key moments kicking off with the featured prelim:

Junior Tafa vs. Valter Walker
The fight started slowly, with both fighters feeling each other out for the first 40 seconds. Tafa eventually started landing some strikes, but Walker changed the game with a takedown. The wrestling that followed was uneventful, leading to a rather dull exchange. However, just as the fight seemed to be dragging, Walker pulled off a heel hook with just 4 seconds left on the clock, securing a dramatic win. There was no visible tap from Tafa, so unless there was a verbal submission, Walker’s victory will surely be protested by Tafa, who slapped Walker in an exchange after the fight.

Li Jingliang vs. Carlos Prates
In this bout, the first round was marked by cautious exchanges. Prates showcased his impressive straight left, which he used effectively to drop Li with 21 seconds remaining. Despite Li’s survival of the round, Prates continued his dominance into the second. Li tried to engage but was met with a series of powerful strikes. A clean left hook from Prates finished the fight with 8 seconds left in the second round, sending Li to the canvas where he remained for a significant period of time.

Tai Tuivasa vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Tuivasa and Rozenstruik started the fight feeling each other out with minimal action, though Tuivasa landed some solid calf kicks. The second round saw both fighters opening up more, with back-and-forth exchanges. Despite the action heating up, the third round was uneventful and frustrating for fans. Rozenstruik eventually won by split decision, a result that reflected the evenly matched, yet lackluster, performance, not what we’re used to seeing from BamBam, even on this losing streak. BORING!!!!

Mateusz Gamrot vs. Dan Hooker
Gamrot lived up to his promise of bringing the fight and searching for the KO, landing some good strikes and dropping Hooker early. Hooker responded with strong strikes of his own, but Gamrot’s wrestling took control in the second round. He didn’t like Hooker piecing him up to end the first. Although Gamrot found some success in the grappling and eventually on the feet, the strong push in the third, wasn’t enough. Dan “Hangman” Hooker secures split decision victory.

Kai Kara-France vs. Steve Erceg
Kara-France lived up to his nickname “Don’t Blink” by coming out aggressively. After a series of near-misses, he landed a powerful, step-through, overhand left that stunned Erceg. A follow-up blitz sealed the deal, quickly landing that patented right NUKE! With another first-round finish, showcasing Kara-France’s striking prowess, over a fighter that just fought for the title. Kai may have just literally “punched” his ticket to the title fight.

Main Event: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya
The main event was a thrilling clash between Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis. Adesanya took the first round with the more accurate and power striking. Du Plessis found some success with his wrestling in the second, he was able to keep Adesanya down and almost sunk in a choke. The third round saw Adesanya’s striking overwhelm Du Plessis, he appeared to really start to find the range and DDP couldn’t figure him out. The forward pressure from the Last Stylebender was really working for him. He was beating Dricus’ South African butt through the first 3 minutes of the round. Du Plessis was losing ground, getting stuffed heavily by Izzy, and simply looking outmatched. The fight turned dramatic in with less than 2 minutes remaining in the 4th. Stillknocks managed to land a left that hurt Izzy, followed by a mirage of right hands that allowed him to transition the back and quickly sunk in a rear-naked choke, finishing Adesanya and claiming a dramatic victory!

It was nice to see the African fighters squash the beef and show great respect for one another after the fight was over. Also exciting to hear, Alex “Poatan” Pereira said he wants “Stillknocks” next! I want to see that fight, what about you?!

UFC 305 had its share of highs and lows, but the unpredictability and dramatic finishes kept fans on the edge of their seats. I don’t think it lived up to the hype, but it was an entertaining card nonetheless. What did you think of the card?