The first fight of UFC 305 saw the fighters get down with a lot of enthusiasm and spirit to entertain their enthusiastic audience which thronged the RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia. What was witnessed was far from just a feeling out process; it was a theatrical performance that was a perfect preamble to Saturday’s PPV event. The attending fans clapped as middleweight title holder Dricus du Plessis and former two-time title holder Israel Adesanya warmed up.
They both came out in good form, each bent on demonstrating his superiority a highly competitive and rather a spirited bout the fans were fully involved taking pictures and encouraging the fighters. Both du Plessis and Adesanya went through their paces with a mutual animosity between them, knowing that they would be fighting soon. Employing this free workout was only but building up to what fans of UFC should expect of the night.
Dricus Du Plessis who won the middleweight title in a shocking manner early this year will make his first title defence against a daunting opponent. Former two times champion Israel Adesanya has fighters’ intention of regaining the title and dominating the division again. The contenders demonstrated their skills during an open training session and both were eager to show that they were the world’s top fighter
The open workout was not reserved to du Plessis and Adesanya only. Other current and former UFC fighters in attendance were Dan Hooker, Kai Kara-France, and Steve Erceg. Both fighters stepped into the ring to demonstrate highly agile wrestling routines, so as to entertain the audience of what was to be expected of them. Known primarily as the quintessential ‘tough girl’ Hooker appeared perfectly focused and raring to scale even the smaller climbs. Cara-France, a New Zealand fan favourite, put on a display of fast hands and feet while Perth’s own Steve Erceg received a standing applause from the Perth folks
The RAC Arena was rocking as the fans were very much into supporting their fighters. A great taste of what to expect was saw at the open workouts where every fighter went all out in an effort to get into the best of shape for the next fights. The expectations for UFC 305 have been growing for weeks, and the open workouts did nothing but fuel those expectations. With some of the game’s most exciting rosters lined up, the event waiting to deliver one of the moments that fans of the game will not forget.
The Rivalry Comes to a Crescendo
Since du Plessis won the middleweight title, there had been a bad blood between du Plessis and Adesanya. Adesanya who seems to have relinquished his dominance in the division has not hidden his opinion concerning Du Plessis by stating that the later is only holding the title till the rightful holder is ready to claim it. There had been verbal attacks traded between the two before the event, and hard feelings were evident in the workouts. The question that everyone is negotiating in their mind is whether du Plessis can survive the stress of his first championship defense or not or perhaps Adesanya will emerge as a champion.
Increased levels of excitement and build-up comes closer to the fight night. It is therefore expected that UFC 305 is going to be among the best year’s events specifically with du Plessis against Adesanya. The free workout creates the backdrop, the world now awaits as these fighters ascend the Octagon and get ready to go to war.
