.Aug 12, 2024, 10:00 AM ETThere's something exclusive concerning a blended martial arts celebration Down Under.Maybe it's the amount of time warp a N. United States supporter knowledge while viewing matches on TV on a Saturday evening and recognizing that they're taking place the following morning, true time. That's about as disorienting as being cageside in Australia as well as understanding that followers halfway worldwide are viewing the fisticuffs live ... final night.Or maybe it is actually one thing else that makes seeing mixed martial arts matches in Australia feel therefore offbeat. Probably it is actually the matches themselves, which usually possess several exclamation aspects fastened. Anybody observing the sport for many years has seen the reality spins that can emanate coming from crate fights in this corner of the Southern Hemisphere.Mark Pursuit and Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva inflicted a profession's worth of heavyweight harm on one another during the course of one unforgettable night in Brisbane in 2013. A record-setting evening (early morning?) in Sydney a year later on, with 11 battles and also 11 surfaces. And, of course, Holly Holm booting Ronda Rousey off her high equine at UFC 193 in 2015 in Melbourne. That activity established a firm presence document that stood up till the Octagon was actually brought back to Melbourne in 2019 as well as 57,127 filled Wonder Stadium to check out Israel Adesanya knock out Robert Whittaker as well as end up being middleweight champion.When the eight-sided cage come back to Australia on Sunday, the previous two-time champ will definitely test Dricus Du Plessis in the main occasion of UFC 305 in Perth. Vulnerable will certainly be actually certainly not only a glossy band but the pleasure of a continent 5,000 miles away, as both fighters are rooted in Africa, though with much various lifestyle experiences.That's the origin of just among many interesting storylines that are going to play out this weekend break. Below are 5 traits to watch for at UFC 305. Who will get the birthplace on a distant bank? 1. Middleweight champion: Dricus Du Plessis (c) vs. Israel AdesanyaIsrael Adesanya squares off with Dricus Du Plessis generally event at UFC 305. Picture by Will Russell/Zuffa LLCSaturday's centerpiece resides in Western Australia, although the sensitive territory fight is linked to an arrive on the much edge of the Indian Sea. Du Plessis was birthed and still stays in South Africa. Adesanya was birthed in Nigeria and relocated along with his family to New Zealand when he was actually one decade old. Because of those dissimilar life pathways, Du Plessis once proclaimed, "I am actually the African boxer in the UFC." That did certainly not sit well with Adesanya, that has mentioned his family moved abroad in search of informative opportunities.Editor's Picks1 RelatedIf there's a grudge included in the presently soaring risks, thus be it. It is actually certainly not an essential component to create this a fascinating match, yet let's certainly not forget that the last time Adesanya was in an animosity-fueled competition, he designated on Paulo Costa just before taking him out in 2020. His one KO ever since happened versus Alex Pereira in 2015, 5 months after Pereira possessed KO 'd him. So "The Final Stylebender" has presented a thirst for the get-back, especially versus powerful aggressors. Can Adesanya's counterpunching cease the quick supremacy of Du Plessis, that possesses bulldozed his way to nine success in a row?Which rebuilding task will courageous? 2. Guy's flyweight: Kai Kara-France vs. Steve ErcegThe initially 2 opportunities Kara-France contended in the UFC, the matches occurred in Australia and also he was actually type of the nearby person. He's actually coming from New Zealand, 1,300 kilometers around the Tasman Sea, yet his opponents were from the opposite of the globe, the United States and South America. This time, though, it's an away game for Kara-France, as Erceg was actually born in Perth and lives twenty moments coming from RAC Field. Erceg has combated in his home town 6 times, yet all just before his signing with the UFC final summer months. He's made merely 4 trips inside the Octagon as well as presently has actually completed for the 125-pound title.That last point highlights exactly how this match, like the main event, has to do with more than geography. Erceg, 29, was using an 11-fight winning touch when he unsuccessfully tested Alexandre Pantoja in May. Kara-France, 31, made a bid for an interim belt in 2022, shedding by TKO to ex-champ Brandon Moreno. Both Kara-France as well as Erceg are in fixing setting. A loss right here would certainly certainly not be actually the end of the street towards challenger condition, yet it could deliver that boxer on a preventing detour.Can all of us just delight in a swinging great time? 3. Big-time: Tai Tuivasa vs. Jairzinho RozenstruikTai Tuivasa wants to end a four-fight losing touch at UFC 305 on Sunday night. Photo through Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC through Getty ImagesI feel regretful for loving Tuivasa fights as high as I perform. Certain, I adore enjoying a carefully tuned athlete display technical fight skill-sets in giving damage and closing down what an enemy can easily toss their means. That's the blended martial arts I fit being actually a fan of. However I simply can not turn away from a slobber knocker, which is what Tuivasa always promises.Top accounts of the week from Acquire unique access to countless costs short articles a year coming from best writers. u2022 MLB predictions: Will Judge reached 60 HRs? "u2022 Barnwell: NFL playoff crews to return "u2022 Final CFB preseason SP+ ranks" Even more ESPN+ content ".What the Aussie may certainly not constantly assure, naturally, is his delightfully horrible postfight party, the shoey. The beer and shoes visit just in triumph, and Tuivasa has actually lost four matches in a row. But listed here's something deserving of commemorating, even before the 1st haymaker is affaired through these heavy-handed heavyweights: the matchmaking. Rozenstruik can sway for the fencings like Tuivasa, thus this one should be actually exciting while it lasts.Will this level change succeed? 4. Lightweight: Mateusz Gamrot vs. Dan HookerI was starting to get concerned for Hooker-- comparable to the nerves of enjoying Tony Ferguson contend at 40 years old. Courtesan is actually only 34 and also his skid had not been fairly as depressing, however during the course of an extent from June 2020 through March 2022, he fell four of five matches, obtaining ended up with all however one of the reductions. It ought to be kept in mind that those defeats happened versus Islam Makhachev, Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler as well as Arnold Allen-- certainly not a tomato may among them. As well as Concubine has actually because gotten better along with a pair of triumphes over rivals a measure lower on the ladder (Jalin Turner, Claudio Puelles). The complication for Hooker is actually that this match puts him straight back on top degree of competitors. Gamrot has actually succeeded 7 of eight fights and performs the edge of the label picture. Will he be way too much for Courtesan, or will Gamrot obtain nudged out of the frame?One competitor's ceiling is yet another fighter's ... ceiling? 5. Female's flyweight: Casey O'Neill vs. Luana SantosO'Neill was 9-0 after she gained her fourth straight UFC battle in early 2022, and onlookers were actually beginning to guess on where her ceiling was actually. And now she performs a two-fight skid, as well as the uncertainty worries how much her falloff may be. Meanwhile, Santos is actually three fights into her UFC trip, riding a five-fight winning streak as well as appearing like a rising prospect. This is actually an ideal examination for each ladies, a degree setter. O'Neill is 26 years of ages, while Santos is simply 24. So their storyline can weave for many years.