Main Card Thoughts

Jingling Li vs Carlos Prates

Li has been out of action for almost two years and faces off against the up-and-coming Prates, who has won both of his previous UFC bouts.

Prates has recorded eight successive TKO victories, and although Li has some undeniable power himself, I expect another TKO here.

Tai Tuivasa vs Jairzinho Rozenstruik

An intriguing clash between two heavyweights who are experts in the field of knockouts.

Tuivasa comes into the fight off the back of four consecutive losses against Ciryl Gane, Sergei Pavlovich, Alexander Volkov, and Marcin Tybura, while Rozenstruik won his last fight against Shamil Gaziev.

Neither fighter has great wrestling credentials, and I expect the fight to stay on the feet, with both men searching for a big KO punch.

We have seen previously the power that Tuivasa possesses, and I believe he will connect with an overhand, which will grant him the victory in the first round.

Mateusz Gamrot vs Daniel Hooker

Gamrot comes into this fight after four consecutive wins, including an impressive victory over number 1 ranked lightweight Arman Tsarukyan.

Hooker has a very impressive resume in the UFC with fights against the likes of Edson Barboza, Michael Chandler, and Islam Makhachev.

This could be a very interesting stylistic battle with Gamrot likely to adopt a high-pressure, wrestling-based approach. Whereas Hooker will attempt to counter this with strikes from distance and constant leg kicks.

Inevitably the fight will go down to the mat due to Gamrot’s constant takedown attempts. And once it does, I think he will be able to lock in a submission and secure the win.

Kai Kara-France vs Steve Erceg

The co-main event features the number four ranked Kai Kara-France against the number seven ranked Steve Erceg in the UFC Flyweight division.

Both fighters come into this bout off the back of a loss, with Kara-France losing to Amir Albazi and Erceg being defeated by the flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja.

Kara-France will attempt to stay on the inside of his taller opponent, while Erceg will attempt to engage on the outside with kicks and jabs.

Erceg likes to pressure his opponents and has some great stamina, which should help him score points on the judges scorecards.

I believe the fight will go the distance, but Erceg will take the initiative and secure the unanimous decision win.

Dricus Du Plessis (C) vs Israel Adesanya

Perth is the host for a long-awaited clash between two men who share plenty of bad blood. The UFC Middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis attempts to defend his title against long-term rival Israel Adesanya.

Du Plessis claimed the title by defeating Sean Strickland, while Adesanya hasn’t fought since his defeat to Strickland on 10 September 2023.

The South African, Du Plessis, is very difficult to take down, as shown in his victory over middleweight contender Robert Whittaker. He also has great grappling credentials and strikes with extreme power.

Adesanya held the middleweight title between 2019 and 2022 and had five successful title defences during that time period. He is a very talented kickboxer who can damage his opponents with a variety of strikes.

This fight is difficult to predict with both men having paths to victory. However, I think Du Plessis’ sheer size and power will allow him to take down Adesanya and secure a TKO victory.