UFC 305 in Australia: Date, tickets, who’s fighting in Perth for UFC return

The UFC has announced its imminent return to Australia, with the world’s largest mixed martial arts promotion taking place on the shores of Perth for the second time in 18 months.

“After a record-breaking event in 2023, I can’t wait to bring another huge pay-per-view to Western Australia,” said UFC chief executive Dana White.

“Perth is a world-class city with some of the most passionate fight fans I have ever seen – UFC305 It’s going to be incredible!”

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UFC 305 in Australia: Date and location revealed for return in Perth

The UFC will once again take over Down Under with the PPV event scheduled for Sunday, August 18 at the RAC Arena.

UFC305 will be part of a multi-year partnership where the promotion through Tourism Western Australia will work with the Western Australian Government to reach major events in WA.

“Under the new agreement, UFC will also work closely with Tourism WA to bring an additional event to Perth with an exciting UFC Fight Night,” the company said in a press release.

The historic event in August marks the third time the UFC has gone to Perth UFC 221: Romero vs. Rockhold the procedure started in 2018, before that of last February UFC 284: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski brought the house down.

“The UFC’s return to Perth in 2024 is a major coup for Western Australia, following the resounding success of UFC284 That injected millions into our economy last year,” Prime Minister Roger Cook said.

“We are very excited to host UFC at the RAC Arena again, and we expect the same UFC305 This will be another great success for WA’s tourism and hospitality industry,” added Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism Rita Saffioti.

UFC 305: Who’s Fighting in Perth?

• Dricus du Plessis (c) vs. Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight title
• Tom Nolan vs. Alex Reyes; lightweight
• Casey O’Neill vs. Tereza Bleda; flyweight

Hometown hero Jack Della Maddalena – who beat Randy Brown via second round the last time the UFC came to Perth – looked like a certainty before an infection from surgery ruled him out.

The welterweight title contender, who defeated Gilbert Burns in his most recent fight, fell ill following surgery on the wrist he broke in that win.

Recent flyweight title challenger and Perth local Steve Erceg has reached out to fight in front of his home crowd following his loss to Alexandre Pantoja.

Number 1 UFC featherweight and former champion Alex Volkanovski has ruled himself out and is targeting a return later this year.

Robert Whittaker, who was unlucky to miss the previous two events in Perth despite initially being scheduled to appear, will also not feature on the card.

‘The Reaper’ will instead headline an event in Saudi Arabia against Khamzat Chimaev on Saturday, June 22.

Meanwhile, a middleweight title fight against heated rivals Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya is rumored to be the main event for the PPV in Perth.

How to buy UFC 305 tickets

Fans interested in attending the event can register at www.ufc.com/perth to access pre-sale tickets and receive the latest information in advance UFC305.