Dricus Du Plessis looks to defend his UFC middleweight title against Israel Adesanya in the main event at UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya on Saturday at 10 p.m. ET from RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Adesanya is a former two-time champion in the weight class. Du Plessis defeated Sean Strickland at UFC 297 in January to earn the UFC middleweight title. Adesanya, meanwhile, lost to Strickland by unanimous decision at UFC 293 to lose the middleweight title in September 2023.
Adesanya comes in as a slight -115 favorite (risk $115 to win $100), while Du Plessis is the underdog at -105 (risk $105 to win $100) in the latest UFC 305 odds. 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 has been dominant for nearly six years. He has not suffered a loss since being knocked out in the third round of Poland’s KSW 45 for the welterweight championship in October 2018. He is 9-0 since, including five wins by knockout, two by submission and two by decision. He earned Performance of the Night with a second-round knockout of Robert Whittaker on July 8, 2023, at UFC 290 in a UFC middleweight title eliminator match.
Du Plessis began his professional career in July 2013, when he made his middleweight debut. In that match, he took down Tshikangu Makuebo by TKO at EFC 21 in Gauteng, South Africa. He went 4-0 before suffering his first loss in August 2014 at EFC 33 for the EFC middleweight championship. He lost by submission to Garreth McLellan at 2:12 of the third round. For his career, Du Plessis has posted a 21-2 mark, with 10 wins by submission, nine by knockout and two by decision.
Adesanya, 35, has dominated since turning pro 12 years ago. In his first bout, he earned a TKO win over James Griffiths at Supremacy Fighting Championship 9 in March 2012. He ended up winning his first 20 bouts, including his first nine in UFC. He is currently ranked No. 2 in the UFC middleweight rankings, and is the 13th in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings.
Adesanya has had success in three combat sports. He is 5-1 during his pro boxing career, is 75-5 in kickboxing and 24-3 in MMA. He won the interim UFC middleweight title at UFC 236 in April 2019, and won and unified the UFC middleweight crown in October 2019. Adesanya has fought for the middleweight title nine times, losing just three times. He last held the UFC middleweight title last year before losing to Strickland. 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 (-235) to defeat Tai Tuivasa (+195) 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 (-115) vs. Dricus Du Plessis (-105)
Steve Erceg (-230) vs. Kai Kara-France (+190)
Mateusz Gamrot (-360) vs. Dan Hooker (+280)
Jair Rozenstruik (-235) vs. Tai Tuivasa (+190)
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)
