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00:00Hey, thank you so much Sean. Well, two former title challengers go head-to-head in a bout,
00:03moving the winner much closer to that 125-pound belt. City kickboxing's Kaikara Franz stepped
00:09away from competition for 14 months, and the 31-year-old calls it the best decision he has
00:15ever made. Refreshed and reinvigorated, Don't Blink believes he can control the pace and set traps on
00:20his way to earning career victory number 25. Standing across from him will be Perth's very own
00:26Steve Ursay. Catapulting onto the scene just about a year ago, Astro Boy has already proven
00:31to be one of the very best flyweights in the world. The jujitsu black belt is buoyed by his
00:36hometown crowd and the confidence that he gained in that last outing. When it comes to this matchup,
00:40he believes he's just simply better everywhere. It's New Zealand versus Australia in our UFC 305
00:47co-main event. You don't want to miss it. As a UFC announcer with a front row
00:56seat, I've been known to get pretty excited. And with this latest DraftKings offer, you can too.
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01:19UFC 305, Du Plessis versus Adesanya is brought to you by Cuervo Tequila.
01:28By Crown, here's where things get interesting.
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01:56A new attendance record. It's the Power Slap debut of Dumpling, a pivotal figure in the rise
02:02of slap fighting. He's a legend. This is one of the first people that Dana saw,
02:07so that's what inspired Power Slap. We've been waiting a long time for this guy.
02:11Oh, Dumpling doing damage from the jump. Dana wanted to bring it to the promotion.
02:20Talk about making a huge impression. He's got a tough challenge ahead of him and super heavyweight
02:25Power Slap champion, the Crazy Hawaiian, who has yet to lose on a Power Slap stage. He hasn't been
02:31hurt. He hasn't been waffled. A showdown with Dumpling. How great would that be? Give me the
02:36Dumpling. This fight's going to be incredible. I cannot get enough of it. Super heavyweight title
02:43fight. Two monsters squaring off for the first time. Power Slap in Abu Dhabi. A historic moment
02:50for the sport. I can't wait. Let's go. Well, you just heard it there for the first time. Power
03:00Slap lands in Abu Dhabi for a historic live event. Power Slap 9 features undefeated super heavyweight
03:04champion, the Crazy Hawaiian, taking on slap fighting legend Dumpling from Space 42 Arena
03:09Thursday, October 24th during Abu Dhabi Showdown Week. DC and I are excited to have a front row seat
03:16come Thursday, October 24th. Today, though, we are in Perth, WA this week. It is UFC 305 Du Plessis
03:25versus Adesanya. Find Western Australia on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at Western Australia
03:31and hashtag WA the dream state. Western Australia walking on a dream.
03:40All right, just about ready for the co-headliner. I'm going to show you some betting odds now on
03:44Kai Kadiforantz and Steve Erceg. Kadiforantz, former interim title challenger, plus 185. Steve
03:51Erceg, the recent undisputed title challenger, minus 225. That price has held pretty steady
03:57throughout this fight week in Perth. So one of the flyweight division's biggest names and best
04:02fighters is back. That is Kai Kadiforantz. And on the other side, fellow contender Steve Erceg
04:06is back home in Perth after taking the champion to the brink.
04:15What a fight! Alessandre Pantoja, Steve Erceg go the full 25 for the undisputed UFC flyweight
04:24championship. It's something I visualized for quite a long time. Everything that I'd done
04:33leading up to that point put me in a spot where not only did I have the skills to
04:37beat and become the champion, but the confidence to do so.
04:44That didn't happen, but mentally I think I was in a good spot.
04:47I thought I performed pretty well. I pushed the pace. I was going forward a lot. It felt the same
04:53as a lot of the other fights. I feel like I lost the contest, but I won the fight.
05:00I learned that I can definitely hang with the big dogs. I've been doing a lot of things right. I want
05:07to prove that I'm the best. Steve Erceg has been so tremendous in such a short amount of time.
05:13Unbelievable at range. Power in those hands. Not only does he seem legit, he is legit.
05:21Astro Boy, Steve Erceg. My goal has never been to go out and try to win a decision. I'm always
05:28trying to go out and end the contest, so there's no doubt in anyone's mind who the best of the night was.
05:35Holding the edge and experience in this matchup is the third-ranked Kai Kara-France. My last fight
05:42against Amir Al-Bazi, I felt like I was more busier landing the cleaner punches and just a variety of
05:48attacks. By the end, I felt like I was at least three rounds up. I'll be honest with you, I'm a
05:55little bit surprised by that decision. It's a tough one to swallow, but there's a lot of
06:00For this fight camp, I've just given myself a lot of time, not forcing anything. This is my comeback fight.
06:05I've been away for about a year now. I feel sharp. I feel strong. I feel my career best is yet to come,
06:11so we go out there and we show the best version of ourself and show everyone that I deserve another
06:16title shot. He has improved and grown so much in the sport. This man has all the ability to be
06:22In the UFC, if you're willing to fight the best, that's what we're here to do, so now we have a fight
06:27in front of us, fighting a guy that just fought for the title, fighting someone that arguably won
06:33his fight as well. You face your opponent, someone I've never fought before, and I'm going to fight
06:39the best. I'm going to fight the best. I'm going to win this fight. I'm going to win this fight.
06:43I'm going to fight the best. I'm going to fight the best of the night.
06:52I'm welcoming the challenge. This is what I love to do. I'm ready to get this win whatever way.
07:04I think Kai's the perfect opponent because he's an exciting fighter. I'm expecting him to come out
07:09pushing forward and trying to bully me basically, and I truly believe that I have the tools to
07:14take him out. I know he'll be hungry to climb the rankings again to get another title shot,
07:20but I want to go out there and take it from this guy. I've just got to go
07:23let my work do the talking. I'm in there to spoil the party.
07:27All right, so here is the former eternal MMA flyweight champion and nearly the UFC flyweight
07:54champion of the world. He went toe-to-toe with Alessandro Pantoja, did Steve Ursag back in May,
07:59and did that without what would amount to a championship training camp. He's still one of
08:04the best flyweights in the world and looking to prove as much here tonight in a big spot at home
08:08against Kai Canepa. I mean, you guys know that since Steve Ursag jumped on the screen, I loved
08:13him because he's so unassuming. You don't expect a guy that is quiet. He seems a bit shy, but the
08:20moment that octagon door closes, this dude has all the skills. He's got tremendous cardio. He's
08:26got amazing boxing, and grappling is one of his strongest skills. When we spoke to him the other
08:31day, he said, you know what, man, even though I may have made a mistake in the fifth round,
08:35I want to do it again to make sure that in the fifth round, you're worried about me,
08:39not the other way. This kid has all the goods now. Yeah, what stands out most to me when I
08:44watch Ursag is his long-ranging, laser-sharp striking and accuracy. He's really good at
08:49keeping things very straight. You know, a lot of times when you watch us at the Mayfighters,
08:53we tend to loop our punches on the outside of the arms or come over the top. He throws them
08:58straight down the middle, and it's hard to defend his strikes because they go right in between your
09:02guard and the uppercuts as well. He does it every time, too. He never throws it loopy unless he
09:08intends to throw a hook like he got Matt Snell with. He's so unassuming. It's why I can't...
09:20So
09:40making the walk for his 37th pro fight and 12th in the UFC is the former interim title challenger
09:45Kaikara France was supposed to fight against Panel Cop last year. He got concussed in training
09:50six months without contact, saw all the concussion specialists and gone back on the proven ground
09:55tonight with a point to prove. You know, Kaikara France, I think why he has so many finishes is
10:01he's patient. He has 12 first round finishes, and that's hard to say for this division. You
10:06don't hear that a lot, but the reason is he's patient with when he chooses to throw his strikes.
10:10And just like Ersic, he's also very accurate. He doesn't force anything. He takes his time,
10:15and what stands out most about Kaikara France is his defense. And that's why this is such a fun
10:20matchup, because when you watch Ersic, the way that he gets his offense to land is curious. Can
10:25he do that to Kaikara France with the defense that he has? All right, tonight's prep point is brought
10:31to you by Lad Brooks, the official wagering partner of UFC. You know, Kaikara France is a
10:37guy that came off the ultimate fighter. He lost to Pantoja, and neither one of them won the show.
10:44But I would say they're two of the best guys to come off of this show and are two of the most
10:48valuable guys to this division. This young man has shown time and time again that he has a fighting
10:53spirit, and he continues to improve every single time. He has studied Ersic, and he has seen Ersic
11:01for a very long time. He said, I love that he's doing well. It's great for the region. He goes,
11:06but tonight is a stepping stone to me getting back to where I feel like I need to be. Kaikara France
11:11is a tremendous striker, big power for a small guy, and a warrior spirit. This is a fight that
11:18I'm very excited about. Kaikara France, former bragging rights flyweight champion right here in
11:25Perth, and he believes that this matchup is his ticket back to a title shot. We'll see if Kaikara
11:33France can produce the desired results here today. All right, Kael, let's get to the co-main
11:38event. It's brought to you by VeChain, the official blockchain of UFC. Kaikara France,
11:41the plus 185 underdog at close is 31. See, Ersic, 29. Ersic, taller by 4 inches, but it is a 1-inch
11:48edge in reach for the Kiwi, Kaikara France. All right, back inside now for the intros to Bruce
11:53Buffett. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the co-main event of the evening. This fight is three rounds
12:06in the UFC flyweight division. Introducing first, fighting out of the blue corner, a big martial
12:15artist, holding professional record, 12 wins, 2 losses. He stands 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing
12:23in at 125 and 1 1⁄2 pounds, fighting out of Perth, Western Australia, presenting the never-so-great
12:35UFC flyweight contender in the world, Steve Astroboy, Ersic. And now, introducing his opponent,
12:52fighting out of the red corner, a big martial artist, holding professional record, 24 wins,
12:5911 losses, won no contest. He stands 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighing in at 125 and 1 1⁄2 pounds,
13:08fighting out of Auckland, New South Australia, presenting the never-more-ranked flyweight
13:16contender in the world, Kai, Don't blink, Kaikara France. And when the action begins,
13:29a referee in charge, Rich Mitchell. Rich Mitch, third man in the octagon for this one.
13:38Thank you to the lovely Christy Pearson, getting us started for round one.
13:44Perth, Western Australia's own Steve Ersic, taking on the Kiwi, Kai Katafrance out of Auckland,
13:50New Zealand. Co-main event at UFC 305 is underway, Ersic in green, Katafrance in black.
13:57Watch the calf kick for France, because you can see how bladed Ersic is.
14:02Stays real bladed sideways, that's why it's hard to hit shots on him.
14:05I'm not sure there's a comp for Steve Ersic on this roster. He's unassuming, calm, cool,
14:13collected, singing his walkout song, but man, his boxing when these fights start, otherworldly.
14:18It's unbelievable to watch this kid put his combinations together. He's so smart,
14:23when he's in the middle of so much chaos, he seems to operate in a state of calm.
14:29And you can see it from the moment he starts to walk to the octagon.
14:35Katafrance nearly landed that left hand, pretty good entry by him.
14:43That's the thing about Ersic though, he makes you miss by