WA stars set to headline Perth's UFC 305 on August 18

Perth fighter Jack Della Maddalena is tipped to fight in front of home fans at UFC 305. (Richard Wainwright/AAP PHOTOS)

Rising West Australian stars Jack Della Maddalena and Steve Erceg are set to be among the headline acts when the UFC returns to Perth on August 18.

Thursday's announcement that RAC Arena will host UFC 305 marks the third time Perth will host a UFC event, following on from 2018 and 2023.

Although the card is yet to be revealed, hometown heroes Della Maddalena and Erceg are expected to feature.

A grudge match between middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya could also be one of the headline acts.

Della Maddalena rocketed up to fifth in the welterweight standings following his recent victory over Brazilian Gilbert Burns.

Although Della Maddalena required surgery on his broken left arm after that fight, he's adamant he'll be ready to go in August.

The 27-year-old is keen to fight world No.3 Shavkat Rakhmonov in Perth in what will effectively be a title eliminator, with the winner then set to fight for the belt.

Leon Edwards is currently the welterweight champion.

"I've laid it out pretty nicely," Della Maddalena said recently.

"If we can get that Shavkat fight together, it's a title eliminator.

"If I can get through him, I feel like I'll have a world title bout on my hands."

Erceg could already be a world champion by the time the Perth event comes around.

The 27-year-old has only fought three times since making his UFC debut last year, and is currently 10th in the flyweight rankings.

Steve Erceg and Alessandro Costa.
Steve Erceg pins down Alessandro Costa during their bout at UFC 295 in New York.

But he will get his chance at snaring the belt on May 5 when he fights flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja in Rio de Janeiro.

"It would be awesome," Erceg said of the prospect of becoming WA's first UFC champion.

"I don't look at it like destiny, I don't know if I really believe in that stuff.

"But life comes in waves - you have bad things happen to you, good things happen to you.

"At the moment I'm going through a good luck phase."

Last year's UFC event in Perth was headlined by former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, who lost to Islam Makhachev by first-round knockout.

Volkanovski isn't expected to compete in Perth, but could be back in action later this year to take on Ilia Topuria for the featherweight title.

Another Australian star - Robert Whittaker - is also set to miss the Perth event after being announced as the headline act for the first UFC event in Saudi Arabia on June 22.

Whittaker, who is ranked the third-best challenger in the middleweight division, will take on world No.11 Khamzat Chimaev.

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store