With the UFC reaching its 300th pay-per-view milestone on April 13, 2024, the world’s No.1 mixed martial arts promotion is gearing up for a busy summer. The calendar looks stacked, with visits to Abu Dhabi, England and the Sphere in Las Vegas marked down as locations where the company will be hosting events.
However, one overlooked schedule guaranteed to deliver a week of festivities is UFC 305, as Dana White and company have announced their return Down Under for August 2024.
Let’s take a look at what UFC 305 could be all about before heading to the UFC betting sites.
We’re going back down under! #UFC305 is headed to Perth! 🇦🇺
Find out more info here: https://t.co/UocfFnJYgJ @WestAustralia | #WAtheDreamState pic.twitter.com/ULBOmVgfOk
— UFC (@ufc) March 28, 2024
UFC 305 in Australia
With the announcement of a multi-year agreement with the Western Australian Government via Tourism Western Australia, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will have a pay-per-view event in Perth, Australia, this summer.
UFC 305 will be held at RAC Arena on August 17, marking the third time the mixed martial arts organization has used the venue.
The first UFC event in Perth, UFC 221, took place in February 2018, while the most recent event, UFC 284, was held in February 2023. UFC 305 will be the organization’s eighteenth event in Australia since 2010.
UFC 305: Who’s Fighting?
At the time of writing, no official fight announcements have been made. However, with a plethora of homegrown Aussie talent scattered amongst the UFC’s various weight classes, we’re guaranteed to receive a thrilling night of fights.
Three prominent Australian UFC fighters, including former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, up-and-coming welterweight contender Jack Della Maddalena from Perth and Steve Erceg, the next challenger for the men’s flyweight belt, were present at an official announcement held at Scrappy MMA, a gym in Willetton.
Volkanovski, the most successful Australian mixed martial artist, has been inactive since his defeat to Ilia Topuria in February. Della Maddalena, on the other hand, has achieved a remarkable streak of 17 straight victories and recently secured a win over Gilbert Burns by TKO at UFC 299. Meanwhile, Erceg is now getting ready for his upcoming UFC 301 main event championship battle against Alexandre Pantoja, scheduled for May.
Depending on the developments in the next couple of months, all three individuals have the potential to be considered as contenders for participation in the event scheduled for August 17th, and with one former champion and two title contenders representing the nation, a main event championship bout involving Australian talent is highly probable.
UFC 305 Fantasy Matchmaking
It’s highly doubtful that Volkanovski will compete for a championship on home soil after two back-to-back knockout losses. Should the UFC gift him a rematch with Topuria, which he rightfully deserves, the home advantage factor wouldn’t make much sense.
That said, Steve Erceg has the opportunity to make history at UFC 301 when he challenges Pantoja for the flyweight championship. Should the stars align and if Erceg exits with a clean victory in Brazil, a three—to four-month turnaround for him to appear at UFC 305 and top the card is highly possible. There will be a wealth of potential opponents for Erceg, including a rematch with Pantoja if their 301 battle doesn’t provide definitive dominance.
Only ONE month left until #UFC301!
Check out the official poster for Rio! 🇧🇷
Buy your tickets now: https://t.co/ORJ91Aulww pic.twitter.com/H5WYQW0uTU
— UFC (@ufc) April 4, 2024
Of course, no combat sports enthusiast would be mad if Volkanovski took the co-main event position. In fact, with the pressure of his shoulders, we may get the best version of Volk. Potential opponents could be Arnold Allen, Movsar Evloev, Aljamain Sterling or Calvin Kattar.
Perhaps the most speculative situation would involve Australia’s Jack Della Maddalena, who’s currently ranked as the fifth-best MMA welterweight on the planet after going 7-0 since joining the UFC in 2022. If Leon Edwards doesn’t compete at the Manchester, England event this summer, there’s potential for JDM to jump the queue and compete for the 170-pound strap against “Rocky.”
After #UFC299, Jack Della Maddalena is now tied for the longest active UFC win streak in the welterweight division with 7 💪 pic.twitter.com/l8SbWhdvd6
— UFC (@ufc) March 10, 2024
On that note, a more probable and even greater stylistic matchup would put Maddalena versus Shavkat Rakhmonov in a title-eliminator bout. Both fighters are undefeated and ranked at the top of the division. This potential welterweight scrap holds enough weight to carry a pay-per-view event without gold on the line, and considering Belal Muhammad is seemingly next in line for Edwards, it would make complete sense.
Here’s some food for thought… Israel Adesanya vs. Dricus Du Plessis, anyone? As an Australian neighbor from New Zealand, Izzy is no stranger to competing in the country, and DDP has been calling his name for a long time.
We have no inkling as to what the UFC has planned. Still, the speculation will soon come to a halt as fight card announcements for the summer are expected to arrive in bunches over the next eight weeks as the promotion prepares itself for what could be the greatest year in UFC history.
Will Adesanya return to fight Du Plessis at #ufc305 in Perth? #espn pic.twitter.com/dFJDZnrkxP
— Megan Anderson (@MeganAnderson) April 5, 2024
