1 UFC 305 fighter on the chopping block

The UFC returns to Australia on Saturday, August 17 for UFC 305 in Perth, Australia. In the main event, Dricus Du Plessis defends the middleweight title against former two-time holder Israel Adesanya in a fight that has been in the making since last year.

Elsewhere, Steve Erceg looks to begin his quest for a second title shot against another former challenger in Kai Kara-France, while other ANZ fighters like Dan Hooker and Tai Tuivasa are also in action. But speaking of ANZ fighters, one in particular is facing a very damning crossroads: Casey O'Neill, who fights Luana Santos in the prelims.

Beginning her career in 2019, O'Neill was dominant early on, winning the Eternal MMA strawweight title right in her pro debut. She notched a retention in her sophomore outing but was stripped of the belt after missing weight against current Road to UFC participant Miki Motono, whom she would defeat anyway. That scale mishap led her to go 10 pounds north in 2020, and she won her first two fights as a flyweight. As a result, she got a UFC contract.

O'Neill's 2021 can rightfully be considered one of the most impressive single years an Octagon rookie has ever had, with MMA Fighting even naming her Rookie of the Year in its Year-end Awards. She finished all her three fights, beginning with a demolition of Shana Dobson, who was coming off a huge upset of the then-highly touted Mariya Agapova, in her debut. After that, she choked Lara Procopio unconscious, then battered Antonina Shevchenko, the elder sister of former champion Valentina, earning a bonus for the latter fight.

Such a violent streak set her up for a massive opportunity at UFC 271 against The Ultimate Fighter 26 runner-up/former title challenger and fan favorite veteran Roxanne Modafferi. The fight itself was mostly a showcase for O'Neill, although some controversy emerged when Robert Alexander was revealed to have given Modafferi a 29-28 scorecard.

Casey O'Neill needs a win at UFC 305 or could be cut from the UFC

To continue her ascent in the rankings, O'Neill was next given another former title challenger to knock off: Jessica Eye. However, she tore her ACL during her camp and had to pull out. And in hindsight, that was where her present downfall began.

ACL injuries can take anywhere between six and nine months to fully heal, and even then most athletes do not return to competition until around a year after they first got hurt. However, in this instance, the UFC had a UK card coming up - UFC 286. And O'Neill badly wanted to fight in her ancestral country.

So eleven months after her injury, she took on yet another former title challenger in Jennifer Maia - and lost. The hype train had been halted, but it seemed as if all that she needed was a strong rebound performance. She was supposed to get that opportunity against Viviane Araujo at UFC 293 - her first fight in her home country since the start of her career - but another injury prevented that from happening.

Instead, she fought Ariane da Silva (nee Lipski) at UFC 296 and was armbarred in the second round - a shocking result given the former KSW champion's history of inconsistency. Now, she faces the most dangerous fight of her career. Initially set to face Tereza Bleda in what had been seen as yet another opportunity to rebound, she instead draws a surging Luana Santos, who has won her last five fights, including her first three UFC fights.

The last of those wins was a devastating first-round rear-naked choke against Agapova, and Santos also has a TKO of The Ultimate Fighter 30 winner Juliana Miller on her Octagon resume. Thus, avoiding being dominated or finished is an imperative for O'Neill, lest she find herself on the unemployment line the day after.