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After a successful start to 2024 Dricus Du Plessis is aiming for an August return in Perth. Back in January he became the first UFC champion hailing from South Africa after a closely contested fight with Sean Strickland. The decision was contentious in the eyes of the MMA community and Strickland in particular has not happy with the result. The brash American blamed Canadian judges and ‘dirty f*cking leftists’ for his split decision loss and wants to run it back with Du Plessis.
Dricus Du Plessis on Instagram
As soon as the UFC announced the return to Perth in August fans immediately gravitated towards this potential middleweight title matchup. Strong rumours circled around UFC 300 but it now is most likely going to be UFC 305.
Ariel Helwani confirms that it is not yet official but this is the fight that both men are gunning for.
UFC 305 in Perth
Australia has been home to some huge events for the UFC and with this potential headliner the card could be another stellar event.
Jack Della Maddalena pulled off a brilliant win against Gilbert Burns last month at UFC 299 and called out the bogeyman of the division, Shavkat Rakhmonov. An extremely popular call out with the fans, however rumours have it Rakhmonov may not be fully fit for August. Maddalena already addressed this with a call for former champion Kamaru Usman.
Kai Kara-France has had some poor results recently with back to back losses and some cancelled bouts. He lost to Brandon Moreno from a brutal liver kick and then lost a razor close decision to Amir Albazi in July last year. He then withdrew from the Sydney card due to a concussion and has not fought since. If Kara-France has recovered in time he will most likely be fighting an upcoming contender, if Tatsuro Taira beats Tim Elliott in impressive fashion in May he will be ready for the top five and Kara-France is an ideal opponent.
Other Anzac fighters that could feature include the likes of Dan Hooker, Tai Tuivasa and Jacob Malkoun who’s coming off the back of a bizarre KO at Atlantic City.
Who would you like to see on the Perth card in August?
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