UFC 305: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya Full Prelim Fight Card Predictions

Check out predictions for every prelim fight at UFC 305.

Drew Beaupre | Aug 14, 2024

Jasmin Frank-USA TODAY Sports

The UFC heads to Perth, Western Australia this week for UFC 305, and MMA KO’s Drew Beaupré is here to provide predictions for all 7 fights from the preliminary and early preliminary portions of the card.

UFC 305: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya Fight Card Preview

Preliminary Card

Junior Tafa vs. Valter Walker

UFC 305: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya Full Prelim Fight Card Predictions

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Junior Tafa lands a hit against Marcos Rogerio de Lima during UFC 298 at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

It’s difficult to predict this fight with any real certainty after Walker’s lackluster UFC debut against Łukasz Brzeski. “The Clean Monster” is certainly capable of taking Tafa down and controlling him as long as his cardio holds up, so I’ll slightly lean with Walker to avoid getting caught by anything big before he’s able to bring things to the mat.

(Pick: Walker)

Josh Culibao vs. Ricardo Ramos

Jul 22, 2023; London, UNITED KINGDOM; Lerone Murphy (red gloves) fights Josh Culibao (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena. Mandatory Credit: Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports / Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports

This matchup looks to be a welcome stylistic change for Ramos after the Brazilian was submitted in the first round of his last two fights. Ramos is always a threat to land something flashy during striking exchanges, but I trust Culibao’s process a bit more if this fight ends up being largely contested on the feet.

(Pick: Culibao)

Casey O’Neill vs. Luana Santos

Feb 20, 2021; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Casey O'Neill punches Shana Dobson in a flyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on February 20, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mandatory Credit: Chris Unger/Handout Photo via USA TODAY Sports / Handout Photo-USA TODAY Sports

O’Neill’s significant momentum was halted by the first losses of her career, and now she’ll attempt to get back on track against a replacement opponent in Luana Santos after Tereza Bledá withdrew from UFC 305. Santos has a huge opportunity here to vault into the women’s flyweight rankings, but I’m going to side with O'Neill to snap her losing skid against the Brazilian.

(Pick: O’Neill)

Jack Jenkins vs. Herbert Burns

Jack Jenkins lands a punch on Jamall Emmers in a featherweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event Saturday, June 24, 2023 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. Jack Jenkins won by split decision over Jamall Emmers. / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

Burns will be staring down the threat of a fourth-straight loss when he enters the cage to face Jenkins in Australia. The prospect of being cut from the UFC should certainly help motivate “The Blaze” to score his first win since 2020, but after Burns was also finished in his last three appearances I have to pick Jenkins to get the job done here.

(Pick: Jenkins)

UFC 305 News: Dricus Du Plessis Reveals Walkout Plans for Israel Adesanya Fight

Early Preliminary Card

Tom Nolan vs. Alex Reyes

Nolan earned a UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series. / Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Reyes returned to the Octagon last year exactly 6 years after his first UFC appearance, but unfortunately for “The Executioner” he was knocked out in the first round once again. Those two results certainly don’t bode well for a matchup against Nolan, who has scored a knockout in five out of his seven professional victories.

(Pick: Nolan)

Kenan Song vs. Ricky Glenn

July 14, 2018; Boise, ID, USA; Dennis Bermudez (red gloves) fights Rick Glenn (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at CenturyLink Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Both of these men might be fighting for their spots on the UFC roster when they enter the cage at UFC 305. Moving up to welterweight could turn out to be a smart change for Glenn, but after spending the entirety of his career at lightweight and featherweight I have to side with the fighter that’s already comfortable competing at 170 lbs.

(Pick: Song)

Stewart Nicoll vs. Jesus Aguilar

Jul 8, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Jesus Aguilar (blue gloves) reacts to defeating Shannon Ross (red gloves) during UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Nicoll has a huge chance to fire up the crowd in his home country when he makes his promotional debut in the opening fight of UFC 305. The unbeaten flyweight is a dangerous finisher, but I’m going to side with Aguilar to spoil the Australian’s debut based on his experience against a higher level of competition.

(Pick: Aguilar)

MMA KO will be providing comprehensive coverage for UFC 305 all throughout fight week, and be sure to check back on our homepage for pre-event coverage such as a preview, betting guide, and how to watch as well as live results and highlights on fight night.