Fight time for Dricus, Adesanya as both make weight in Perth

The last piece of the puzzle was put into place on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight title fight, when champion Dricus du Plessis and challenger Israel Adesanya of Nigeria made weight for their UFC 305 showdown at RAC Arena in Perth on Sunday morning.

The champion from South Africa, Du Plessis, weighed in bang on the 185-pound limit set for middleweights, while Adesanya tipped the scales at 184 pounds.

One could sense the electric atmosphere as the two faced off for the final time during the ceremonial weigh-ins at a packed RAC Arena with neither fighter blinking as they stared each other down.

‘I will not miss’

“I can’t wait, the talk is over,” was the short response from Du Plessis after he made weight.

His challenger — a two-time middleweight champion in the UFC — did not mince his words.

“I have missed this (his return to the octagon), but when I am aiming between your (Dricus’) eyes, I will not miss,” said a determined Adesanya.

The two will lead a stacked fight card filled with talented fighters from Australia and New Zealand.

The co-main event is a flyweight clash between Kiwi Kai Kara-France and home-town favourite Steve Erceg.

Also on the card are veteran New Zealanders, lightweight Dan Hooker and heavyweight Tai Tuivasa, who will be looking for victories to make their way up the UFC rankings.

A capacity crowd of 15,000 is expected to cram into the RAC Arena with the action starting with the early prelims at midnight, followed by the prelims at 2am (all SA time Sunday).

At 4am the big attraction begins with the five fights on the main card starting.

The Du Plessis-Adesanya main event is expected to be around 6am SA time, depending on the duration of the previous four battles.

Full UFC 305 main card fights:

Dricus du Plessis v Israel Adesanya
Kai Kara-France v Steve Erceg
Mateusz Gamrot v Dan Hooker
Tai Tuivasa v Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Li Jingliang v Carlos Prates