Dricus Du Plessis will look to continue his middleweight division reign as he looks to defend his title for the first time when he takes on Israel Adesanya in the main event at UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya on Saturday. The main UFC 305 fight card is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. ET from RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Du Plessis, 30, who was born in South Africa is coming off a split decision victory over Sean Strickland at UFC 297 in Toronto. Adesanya, 35, who was born in Nigeria but resides in New Zealand, is entering the Octagon for the first time in nearly a year. He lost the UFC middleweight championship by unanimous decision to Strickland at UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia, in September 2023.
Adesanya enters as the favorite at -120 (risk $120 to win $100), while Du Plessis is the underdog at +100 in the latest UFC 305 odds. In the co-main event, Steve Erceg is the -190 favorite against Kai Kara France (+160). Before locking in any UFC 305 picks, make sure you check out the MMA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Kyle Marley.
Marley won the first-ever "ToutMaster" UFC betting contest sponsored by MMAOddsBreaker and appears regularly on multiple MMA betting and daily Fantasy shows. He watches every single fight for every professional MMA card and does extensive research before each event.
Since 2018, $100 bettors who have followed Marley's picks are up nearly $22,000. The accomplished MMA analyst has provided consistent winners for SportsLine members for the past four years. His accomplishments include hitting five consecutive main-event underdog winners in 2020 following the UFC's brief pause in action because of the pandemic. The last card he went 7-3. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, with UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya in sight, Marley has studied the UFC 305 card from top to bottom and revealed his top picks and best bets. You can only see Marley's MMA picks and analysis at SportsLine.
UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya preview
Du Plessis, 30, from South Africa, has been dominant since joining UFC in 2020, going 7-0 in that stretch. He earned a shot at the title in July 2023, when he defeated Robert Whittaker by TKO at UFC 290 in a UFC middleweight title eliminator match. He followed that up with the split decision win over Strickland. Du Plessis has not lost since being knocked out by Roberto Soldic at Poland's KSW 45 in October 2018.
Du Plessis began his MMA career in July 2023 and he won his first four bouts before a submission loss to Garreth McLellan at EFC 33 in August 2014. He later won the vacant EFC welterweight championship in June 2016. In 23 career matches, Du Plessis is 21-2, including nine wins by knockout, 10 by submission and two by decision. Four of his past seven victories have come via knockout.
Adesanya has been an elite fighter ever since he turned pro in 2012. In his first-ever bout in March 2012, he earned a knockout over James Griffiths at 2:09 of the first round at Supremacy Fighting Championship 9. He has lost just three matches since, but is just 4-3 since March 2021. He is looking to make up for the loss to Strickland to regain the UFC middleweight crown.
Adesanya won his first 20 bouts of his career and is No. 2 in the UFC middleweight rankings. As of July 30, he is No. 13 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings. He is a two-time middleweight champion and has compiled a 24-3 career mark. He is a powerful puncher and has registered 16 wins by knockout, with eight wins coming by decision. See all of Marley's UFC 305 picks here.
Top UFC 305 expert predictions
One of Marley's top UFC 305 picks: He is backing Jair Rozenstruik (-250) to defeat Tai Tuivasa (+205) in a battle of heavyweights on the main card.
Rozenstruik, 36, is ranked 12th among UFC heavyweights, and is coming off a TKO win over Shamil Gaziev at UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Gaziev on March 2. He has had a solid career so far, registering a 14-5 overall mark. He is known for his power and has 13 wins by knockout and one by decision. He won his first 10 bouts after turning pro in 2012.
The 31-year-old Tuivasa is looking to snap a four-bout losing streak after starting his career 14-3. In March of this year, he suffered a technical submission loss in the first round to Marcin Tybura at UFC Fight Night: Tuivasa vs. Tybura. He began his professional mixed martial arts career in July 2012, winning his first nine matches. Of his 14 wins, 13 have come by knockout and one by decision.
"Tuivasa needs a KO to win this fight in my opinion," Marley told SportsLine. "Neither guy has a wrestling/grappling game, and Rozenstruik is the much more well-rounded striker. I'll take Rozenstruik to get the KO, but if it goes to the cards then I think he would win every round." See who else to pick here.
How to make UFC 305 picks
Marley has strong picks for UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya and every other bout on the UFC 305 card. He's also backing a fighter who will "avoid the early danger and get a TKO at some point." Marley's expert picks and analysis are only available at SportsLine.
Who wins UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya, and how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on every fight at UFC 305, all from the incomparable expert who's up nearly $22,000 on MMA since 2018, and find out.
UFC 305 odds, fight card
See full UFC 305 picks, predictions, best bets here.
Israel Adesanya (-120) vs. Dricus Du Plessis (100)
Steve Erceg (-190) vs. Kai Kara-France (+160)
Mateusz Gamrot (-360) vs. Dan Hooker (+280)
Jair Rozenstruik (-250) vs. Tai Tuivasa (+205)
Carlos Prates (-270) vs. Li Jingliang (+220)
Junior Tafa (-112) vs. Valter Walker (-110)
Josh Culibao (-175) vs. Ricardo Ramos (+145)
Luana Santos (-155) vs. Casey O'Neill (+130)
Jack Jenkins (-600) vs. Herbert Burns (+440)
Tom Nolan (-1050) vs. Alex Reyes (+675)
Kenan Song (-230) vs. Rick Glenn (+190)
Stewart Nicoll (-218) vs. Jesus Aguilar (+180)
