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Louise Thomas

Editor

A grudge match will play out at UFC 305 this weekend, as Israel Adesanya challenges Dricus Du Plessis for the middleweight title.

Adesanya is aiming to become a three-time champion, having not fought since September, when his second reign came to a shocking end at the hands of Sean Strickland.

Strickland then dropped the belt to Du Plessis in January, as the latter fulfilled his goal of becoming the first UFC champion who was not only born in Africa but has also trained there throughout his career.

The South African riled up Adesanya, however, with his claim that he is the first “real” African UFC champion. Now the pair get to settle their grudge in Saturday’s main event.

Here’s all you need to know. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

When is UFC 305?

UFC 305 will take place on Saturday 17 August at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

The early prelims will begin at 11.30pm BST (3.30pm PT / 5.30pm CT / 6.30pm ET), with the regular prelims following at 1am BST on Sunday (5pm PT / 7pm CT / 8pm ET on Saturday). The main card is then scheduled for 3am BST on Sunday (7pm PT / 9pm CT / 10pm ET on Saturday).

How can I watch it?

The card will air live on TNT Sports in the UK, with the broadcaster’s app and website also streaming the fights. Discovery+ will also air the action in the UK. In the US, ESPN+ will stream the event live, as will the UFC’s Fight Pass.

Odds

Adesanya – 4/5

Du Plessis – 1/1

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Full card (subject to change)

Main card

Dricus Du Plessis (C) vs Israel Adesanya (middleweight title)

Kai Kara-France vs Steve Erceg (flyweight)

Mateusz Gamrot vs Dan Hooker (lightweight)

Tai Tuivasa vs Jairzinho Rozenstruik (heavyweight)

Li Jingliang vs Carlos Prates (welterweight)

Prelims

Junior Tafa vs Valter Walker (heavyweight)

Josh Culibao vs Ricardo Ramos (featherweight)

Casey O’Neill vs Luana Santos (women’s flyweight)

Jack Jenkins vs Herbert Burns (featherweight)

Early prelims

Tom Nolan vs Alex Reyes (lightweight)

Song Kenan vs Ricky Glenn (welterweight)

Stewart Nicoll vs Jesus Aguilar (flyweight)

If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch UFC 305, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.

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