Fight Facts: UFC 305 ‘Du Plessis vs. Adesanya’

Fight Facts is a breakdown of all of the interesting information and Octagon oddities on every card, with some puns, references and portmanteaus to keep things fun. These deep stat dives delve into the numbers, providing historical context and telling the stories behind those numbers.

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TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC FIGHTS: 7,811
TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC EVENTS: 702

The Ultimate Fighting Championship shipped out to the continent where toilets flush backward for a pay-per-view show. Local fighters and betting favorites did not have a great night, with plenty of surprises and storylines to track for months. UFC 305 featured a crushingly late submission, a strange streak for a beloved brawler and an in-fight retirement that could lead to a career retirement.

A Regular Murilo Bustamante: Dricus Du Plessis became the seventh middleweight champion in UFC history to defend his belt successfully. He did so by beating the last man to achieve this feat: Israel Adesanya.

Wonka’s Jawbreakers: Du Plessis landed a face crank in the fourth round to force Adesanya to tap. Pushing his finish rate to 91%, half of the South African’s pro wins have come by submission.

Not an RNC: The face crank for Du Plessis is his second in the Octagon. He becomes the first recorded fighter in company history to forego the standard rear-naked choke and crush his opponent’s jaw, as he previously tapped Darren Till with one in 2022.

Stillcranks: “Stillknocks” became the first fighter to attempt to perform a submission in the Octagon on Adesanya. None of his previous 16 bouts saw a foe try, while he has three official attempts on his resume.

Championship Rounder: Du Plessis’ submission in Round 4 is the third fourth-round finish in UFC middleweight title history. Rich Franklin previously forced the doctors to intervene against Evan Tanner in 2005, and Luke Rockhold busted up Chris Weidman in 2015.

Good Numbers, Bad Result: Adding 97 significant strikes to his total, Adesanya passed former foe Robert Whittaker to retake the no. 3 spot at middleweight for the most sig. strikes landed. His 1,167 are 207 shy of Michael Bisping’s leading 1,384.

A Meteoric Fall: With the setback, Adesanya landed on the first losing streak of his MMA career. It is the first time he has lost two bouts in a row in any combat sport since dropping back-to-back kickboxing outings against Jason Wilnis and Alex Pereira in 2017.

Eh, Steve! Sending Steve Erceg crashing to the canvas twice in a little over four minutes, Kai Kara-France registered the first-round knockout and upset. His eight knockdowns at flyweight trail only Deiveson Figueiredo’s 11.

50KKF: The knockout for Kara-France earned him an extra $50,000 for “Performance of the Night.” He has now pocketed six post-fight bonuses, earning him third place for the most in UFC flyweight history. Demetrious Johnson’s nine stand above the pack.

By Hooker by Crooker: In a losing effort, Mateusz Gamrot took Dan Hooker down five times across 15 minutes. He has landed a takedown against all 10 opponents in the Octagon while boosting his total to 43 as a UFC lightweight. Although Gleison Tibau (84) celebrates nearly double his amount, the Polish contender is one takedown shy of holding the fifth-highest tally at the weight class.

A Very Jairzinho Type of Fight: For the second time in his career, Jairzinho Rozenstruik needed all three rounds to get the job done. “Bigi Boy” took Tai Tuivasa to the scorecards, earning his first decision win since 2018—also a split decision.

The Ultimate Streaker: Tuivasa saw his UFC record fall to .500 with the loss. He began his tenure with three straight wins and then lost three in a row. This five-fight skid has now matched his previous five-fight winning streak.

Wild Comparisons Emerge: Carlos Prates wrecked Jingliang Li to emerge as a potential contender at 170 pounds. He has now earned 90% of his wins by stoppage while pulling off three-quarters of his wins with strikes.

Tafa the Lesser: Forcing Junior Tafa to shout out and verbally surrender, Valter Walker performed a rare heel hook as a heavyweight. He is the sixth among big men in UFC history, joining Justin Martin, Scott Adams, Christian Wellisch, Mike Ciesnolevicz and Ciryl Gane.

The King is Back: Casey O'Neill returned to the win column with a decision over Luana Santos. In 10 fights in a row, the Aussie by way of Scotland has reached the second round.

Burns the Lesser: Driving his losing streak to four in a row, Herbert Burns could not continue early into the third round against Jack Jenkins. His technical knockout defeat via retirement is his second as a UFC fighter, making him the only competitor in organizational history to fall short this way more than once.

Reyes the Lesser: Since debuting in the UFC in 2017, Alex Reyes has gone 0-3 in three outings, losing by decision to Tom Nolan. It is his first bout to go the distance since he battled Josh McDonald in 2007.

Don’t Mess with the Jesus: Among all UFC matches scheduled at flyweight, Jesus Santos Aguilar is the ninth competitor to put a foe to sleep with a submission. It is the second guillotine choke to do so.

Your Prize is Forfeit: Aguilar’s guillotine rendered the previously unbeaten Stewart Nicoll unconscious. Due to his weight miss, Aguilar is the first of those nine not to claim a post-fight bonus check.

Never Say Never Again: Coming into UFC 305, Adesanya (27 fights) and Tafa (seven fights) had never been submitted, Erceg had never been finished (14 fights) and Li had never been knocked out (27 fights).

South African Hard Rock: Mixing up his walkout a smidge, Du Plessis started with the South African National Anthem before transitioning to “Live It Up” by Airbourne. He has selected the latter in all eight entrances and won every time.

Instructional Audio: Before getting put to sleep by a choke, Nicoll walked to the cage accompanied by Eminem’s “Go to Sleep” featuring DMX and Obie Trice. He is the first competitor in company history to get slept after using this tune.