5 takeaways from UFC 305: Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya

The UFC visited Perth last night for a major pay-per-view. Given the nature of the headliner, it's likely we'll be talking about this event for some time.

UFC 305: Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya saw a major grudge settled in the main event, and plenty of other fascinating action up and down the card.

With a number of talking points coming out of the event, there is certainly plenty to discuss.

With that in mind, here are five takeaways from UFC 305: Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya.

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#5 Tai Tuivasa's UFC career could be over

Perhaps the most disappointing fight on offer at UFC 305 was the heavyweight bout between Tai Tuivasa and Jairzinho Rozenstruik.

What was expected to be a heavy-hitting firefight instead turned out to be a methodically-paced slog, with Rozenstruik largely picking Tuivasa apart.

'Bam Bam' seemed to have no solution to the combinations and low kicks of the Surinamese fighter, and his attempts to draw 'Bigi Boy' into a brawl didn't really pay off.

Quite how judge Howie Booth scored the clash 30-27 for Tuivasa was anyone's guess, but in the end, even that couldn't save the Aussie favorite.

So with no wins in his last five bouts, is Tuivasa's octagon career over? Unfortunately, it wouldn't be a surprise.

'Bam Bam' is a cult favorite thanks to his affable personality, but his big selling point was his ability to win with wild knockouts, and that isn't the case right now.

Had he lost via knockout in a wild fight, then there could've been an argument for him retaining his spot. However, after a lackluster showing like this, another fight will be hard to justify.

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#4 Carlos Prates is a new threat at 170 pounds

While UFC 305 saw two fighters resurrect their careers and a champion step up in a big way, the night's breakout showing arguably came from Carlos Prates.

The welterweight prospect was faced with his toughest test to date, and stepped up in a big way by demolishing veteran Li Jingliang in the second round.

Sure, it's arguable that 'The Leech' is no longer the same fighter who once beat the likes of Santiago Ponzinibbio, but to see him knocked out for the first time in his career was still an eye opener.

Prates put the Chinese fighter on the deck in the first round with a left hand, and then destroyed him with a salvo of strikes in the second, eventually putting him down face-first. It was so violent of a knockout that Li appeared to need medical treatment after the fight.

'The Nightmare' was already 2-0 in his octagon career, but this was a different level of performance entirely. It quite rightly earned him a $50k bonus and should probably net him a shot at a ranked foe in his next fight, too. It's safe to say that after this, nobody is going to sleep on him again.

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#3 Kai Kara-France is right back in contention for the UFC flyweight title

Last night's co-main event between flyweight contender Steve Erceg and Kai Kara-France appeared to pit a man on his way up against an opponent on his way down the ladder.

Erceg was coming into the clash with major momentum after pushing champ Alexandre Pantoja all the way in their title bout earlier this year. Kara-France, meanwhile, had not won a fight since March 2022.

However, as everyone knows, anything can happen in the UFC. Sure enough, Kara-France turned things entirely on their head by destroying 'Astro Boy' late in the first round.

The durable Erceg was sent crashing to the ground on more than one occasion by 'Don't Blink', and despite showing miraculous durability to survive one knockdown, it wasn't enough.

Will this win propel Kara-France right back into title contention? Almost certainly. This victory will keep him afloat at No.4 in the division, and while Amir Albazi is ahead of him in the queue for a title shot, one more win could give 'Don't Blink' a chance in his own right.

Given that nobody could've seen this coming, this knockout was definitely one of the highlights of last night's event.

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#2 Dricus du Plessis' fighting instincts are maybe the best in the UFC

UFC 305's main event saw one of the biggest grudge matches in some time firmly settled.

After a wild press conference that saw some questionable insults fired off, Dricus du Plessis was able to overcome his bitter rival Israel Adesanya, defending his middleweight title in the process.

The big story here, though, has to be the fact that somehow, du Plessis didn't even fight that well despite getting the job done.

'The Last Stylebender' appeared to be getting the better of things standing throughout the first three rounds, with du Plessis' main success coming in the second round after he briefly took Adesanya down.

However, despite lagging behind from a technical standpoint, 'Stillknocks' possesses something that can't really be taught, and that's insane fighting instincts.

The South African never stopped swinging for the fences throughout the fight, and in the fourth round, as Adesanya appeared to slow down slightly, the approach paid off.

A couple of big punches connected to the head of 'The Last Stylebender', stunning him, and the former champ seemed too rocked to truly recover.

Suddenly du Plessis was on him, chasing him across the octagon with more big shots, and as Adesanya dropped to his knees, the champ capitalised. He clambered onto the back, slapped both hooks in, and applied a fight-ending rear naked choke seconds later.

For 'Stillknocks' to pull this finish out despite being apparently outgunned from a technical standpoint was truly amazing, particularly against a sniper like Adesanya.

Talk his talents down all you like, but du Plessis is a true fighter's fighter, and this was just the latest example of that. Right now, it's hard to see anyone dethroning him.

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#1 Israel Adesanya has some serious thinking to do when it comes to his future

If UFC 305's headliner represented a huge milestone for Dricus du Plessis, who successfully defended his middleweight title, it has left Israel Adesanya at a major crossroads.

'The Last Stylebender' came into the bout in phenomenal shape. He'd taken a lengthy period of absence to regain his mojo following a shock loss to Sean Strickland last year. And he was up against perhaps his most bitter rival.

Despite all of this - and despite seemingly having the advantage for the majority of the fight - it wasn't enough. Essentially, Adesanya was winning until the moment he wasn't, and the fight was over seconds later.

After the fight, 'The Last Stylebender' told Daniel Cormier that he's not going anywhere, but is that really a smart decision to make?

In all honesty, it's debatable.

Adesanya is still one of the UFC's biggest stars and drawing cards, but he's now reached uncharted waters, losing twice in a row for the first time in his career.

More to the point, he's now 35 years old and may be reaching the end of his athletic prime.

Given that he's already a two-time middleweight champion with nothing left to prove, he could walk away right now with plenty of money and probably go directly into the UFC's Hall of Fame.

If he stays around, meanwhile, what's really next for him? He isn't likely to be granted another title shot for at least a year or so, and he's already proved that a move to 205 pounds probably doesn't suit him.

Is it worth 'The Last Stylebender' sticking around to fight the likes of Caio Borralho or Nassourdine Imavov in co-headliners or Fight Night main events? It's honestly debatable. Essentially, Adesanya has a big decision to make about his future, and it's probably worth taking his time over.