UFC 305 faceoff: Dricus Du Plessis, Israel Adesanya clash for final time before grudge match

PERTH, Australia – Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya handled their final bit of business before finally sharing the octagon at Friday’s UFC 305 ceremonial weigh-ins.

After making weight earlier in the day, current champion Du Plessis (21-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and former two-time titleholder Adesanya (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) got a last look at each other with a tense staredown in front of fans and media and the world watching online.

Du Plessis will attempt to make his first defense of the 185-pound strap after taking it off Sean Strickland at UFC 297 in January. Adesanya, for his part, will look to join Randy Couture as the only fighters in history with three separate reigns in a single weight class.

The stakes are as high as it gets, and the energy between champion and challenger matched it.

Watch the video above to the final Du Plessis vs. Adesanya staredown ahead of the UFC 305 headliner.

UFC 305 takes place Saturday at RAC Arena. The main card airs on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 305.