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The UFC heads to Perth, Western Australia next weekend for a major pay-per-view card. As always, the event is loaded with talent.
UFC 305: Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya features some of the promotion's biggest stars, but a number of them are likely feeling the pressure.
Essentially, some of these fighters simply cannot even think about suffering a defeat in Perth next weekend, for various reasons.
Here are five fighters who cannot afford to lose at UFC 305: Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya.
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#5 Li Jingliang - UFC welterweight contender
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One fighter who has his back to the wall somewhat at UFC 305 is Li Jingliang. 'The Leech' is set to open the main card against Carlos Prates in a must-win bout.
A couple of years ago, it's arguable that Li was one of the welterweight division's most underrated fighters. The Chinese fighter rose into the top 15 on the back of a run of eight wins and two losses, but then ran into the buzzsaw that is Khamzat Chimaev.
'Borz' dispatched Li with scary ease in late 2021, and since then, 'The Leech' has won just one fight. His last bout saw him beaten by Daniel Rodriguez in a late-notice clash, but that happened back in September 2022.
In the near-two years that have followed, Li has been stuck on the shelf with a spinal injury. This will be his comeback bout, and if he's at his best, it'd be one he'd hope to win.
Prates has a solid record of 19-6 and holds two wins in the octagon, but he hasn't fought anyone of the caliber of 'The Leech' before.
Therefore, while a win would put the Chinese fighter's career back on track, a loss would push him so far down the ladder that a rise back into contention would seem impossible.
He isn't likely to lose his spot on the roster with a defeat, but if he still dreams of reaching the top, Li needs to win in Perth.
#4 Casey O'Neill - UFC flyweight contender
Rewind back to early 2022, and it seemed unthinkable that Casey O'Neill would not become a true threat to the UFC flyweight title.
The Scotland-born, Australian-based star extended her MMA record to 9-0 with a win over former title challenger Roxanne Modafferi that February, and seemed to have all the skills to make it to the top.
'King' appeared to be as adept on the feet as she was on the ground, and when she was matched with Jessica Eye in July 2022, it felt like a win would propel her into title contention.
Unfortunately, O'Neill tore her ACL in training for the bout, landing her on the shelf for over a year.
Since returning in March 2023, 'King' has not quite looked like the same fighter. Her explosiveness seems limited, and she has suffered two defeats to Jennifer Maia and Ariane Lipski.
At the age of 26, O'Neill definitely still has time to climb back to the top, but a loss in Perth against the dangerous yet unheralded Luana Santos would be a genuine disaster.
If 'King' can win impressively in Australia, she'd be back on the right track. If she loses, though, some fans will quickly suggest that she might never be back to her best, which would be a huge disappointment. To be frank, she can't allow that to happen.
#3 Tai Tuivasa - UFC heavyweight contender
Just last weekend, former UFC lightweight champion Tony Ferguson suffered his eighth loss in a row, setting an unwanted promotional record in the process.
Ferguson is an outlier, though, and few fighters are able to lose more than three fights in a row in the octagon without also losing their place on the roster.
Tai Tuivasa, then, probably has his back to the wall coming into his fight with Jairzinho Rozenstruik in Perth.
'Bam Bam' remains hugely popular in his native Australia. He's also one of the UFC's most entertaining heavyweights. However, he is also 0-4 in his last four bouts, and has not won since his February 2022 knockout of Derrick Lewis.
Could Tuivasa find himself cut from the promotion with a loss to Rozenstruik? It's definitely possible.
The stylistic match is favorable for 'Bam Bam', who tends to struggle against grapplers rather than strikers. However, he has been knocked out before, which also makes this fight dangerous.
Tuivasa's cult popularity, particularly in Australia, might make him safe from the axe anyway. However, just to be sure, 'Bam Bam' cannot really afford to lose.
#2 Kai Kara-France - UFC flyweight contender
UFC 305's co-headliner will see a battle of flyweights, as New Zealand's Kai Kara-France takes on Australia's Steve Erceg.
Both men are former title challengers at 125 pounds, but it definitely feels like one is on their way up while the other might be on their way down the ladder.
Erceg's loss to current titleholder Alexandre Pantoja saw him put up a great fight, and the defeat was his first in the octagon.
Kara-France, on the other hand, has not fought in over a year and has lost his last two bouts. 'Don't Blink' has not seen his hand raised since March 2022.
With that in mind, it's clear that the New Zealand-based fighter cannot afford to lose here. Not only would a loss put him on a three-fight skid, but it'd probably also be enough to knock him out of contention for good.
A win, on the other hand, would propel him back into contention and would be enough to justify his arguably inflated ranking of No.4 in the division.
If Kara-France wants to make one final run at the top, then, he simply has to beat 'Astro Boy' in Perth. No other result would be acceptable.
#1 Israel Adesanya - former UFC middleweight champion
While he is still one of the UFC's biggest stars and is set to compete in the headline bout in Perth, the fighter with the most to lose next weekend is Israel Adesanya.
The former two-time middleweight champion has not fought since losing his title to Sean Strickland in a shocker last year. At UFC 305, though, he will have a chance to right the wrongs when he faces current titleholder Dricus du Plessis.
However, to say that 'The Last Stylebender' will be under pressure would be an understatement.
Firstly, his rivalry with 'Stillknocks' is beyond personal, and appeared to be racially charged when the two men went nose-to-nose in the octagon last year following du Plessis' win over Robert Whittaker.
Secondly, if he can win, Adesanya would create history as the first fighter to hold the middleweight title on three separate occasions.
Thirdly, he'll be fighting in front of thousands of his countrymen, fans who will be desperate to see him take out du Plessis to regain his crown.
Finally - and perhaps most importantly - Adesanya has a ton of questions to answer after that loss to Strickland. Was he suffering from burnout? Did he have his bell rung early? Or did he just have a bad night?
A win over 'Stillknocks' would erase any of those questions and put 'The Last Stylebender' back on top. It might also set up a huge fight with his old rival Alex Pereira, potentially giving Adesanya a chance to become a simultaneous double champ.
If he loses to the South African, though, then questions about his future in general would quickly arise. More to the point, it'd be hard to see him climbing back into title contention.
Hence, a win for Adesanya would transform him into a bonafide legend. A loss, though, could condemn him to the wilderness. With that in mind, it's obvious that he cannot afford to suffer the latter.
