Matches To Make After UFC 305

UFC 305 went down last night (Sat., Aug. 17, 2024) in Perth, Western Australia, featuring a middleweight title fight that saw Dricus Du Plessis secure his first-ever title defense by submitting Israel Adesanya in the four round to retain his middleweight title (see it again here). In the co-headlining act, Kai Kara France secured a first-round knockout win over Steve Erceg (see it here), while Dan Hooker secured a huge win by upsetting Mateusz Gamrot in main card action.

Winner: Driccus Du Plessis

Who He Should Face Next: Sean Strickland

Prior to UFC 305, Dana White confirmed that Strickland would be facing the winner of Du Plessis vs. Adesanya — both of which would be rematches — so “Tarzan” had vested interest in the fight. Strickland coughed up his strap to du Plessis months after taking it from Adesanya, and now he has a chance to make things right for himself. He was very upset that the split-decision didn’t go his way and claims he “never really lost the belt,” so now he has the opportunity to get it back. Unless, of course, this man comes in and crashes the party.

Winner: Kai Kara-France

Who He Should Face Next: Taira vs. Royval winner

Kara-France earned a huge knockout win over former title challenger, Steve Erceg, knocking him out in the very first round with a bomb of a right hand. The No. 4 ranked 125-pound fighter in the world snaps his two-fight losing streak and now has a huge shot of confidence in him. He won’t be getting a title shot because that should go to Amir Albazi, who is on a six-fight win streak, ranked No. 3, and is coming off a win over Kara-France himself. That’s why we need to wait to see what the outcome is of the upcoming bout between Brandon Royval (No. 1) and Tatsuro Taira (No. 5) on Oct. 12. I’d like to see the winner face Kara-France in a title eliminator fight.

Winner: Dan Hooker

Who He Should Face Next: Justin Gaethje

Hooker had one of his best showings after a year-long layoff, defeating Mateusz Gamrot, who is ranked No. 5 at the moment, by earning a split-decision win. He is now on a three-fight win streak and could be in the Top 5 in a few days. That means a bigger fight is on the horizon. He won’t get a title shot because that belongs to Arman Tsarukyan (No. 1), he won’t get Charles Oliveira (No. 2), and a rematch against Dustin Poirier (No. 4) is unlikely because no one knows if “The Diamond” will ever fight again. That leaves Gaethje (No. 3) as the only likely option. “Highlight” is coming off a memorable knockout loss to Max Holloway in a “BMF” title fight, so a real championship bout is out of reach for him at the moment. Due to his loss, his ranking and Hooker on the rise, this fight seems like a perfect fit.

Winner: Jairzinho Rozenstruik

Who Should Face Next: Marcin Tybura

Rozenstruik put on a winning performance against Tai Tuivasa, handing “Bam Bam” his fifth straight loss after 15 minutes of action. As far as what could be next for “Bigi Boy,” perhaps a fight against Tybura is in order. Sure, “Tybur” is coming off a loss to Serghei Spivac (see it here), but he is currently ranked one spot ahead of him. Furthermore, if we are looking in the Top 10, there isn’t anyone else who makes sense at the moment because four of his last losses have come against men in the Top 6. Both Tybura and Rozenstruik are 3-2 in their last five fights and their most recent wins came against Tuivasa.

Winner: Carlos Prates

Who He Should Face Next: Muslim Salikhov

Prates picked up a huge win by knocking out Li Jingliang with a beautiful left hook that put “The Leach” out for the count in the second round, securing his tenth straight win, third inside the Octagon. He is still a way out from a Top 15 ranking, but he has looked sharp so far with nine straight knockout wins. As far as what could be next for him, a fight against Salikhov would be a great test because of his experience inside the Octagon. Salikhov — who has a loss to Jingliang — has competed for the promotion for seven years now, and is coming off a big win over Santiago Ponzinibbio, defeating him via split-decision last month.

For complete UFC 305 results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.