Li Jingliang vs. Carlos Prates is the most underrated fight at UFC 305, here's why

The UFC's return to Australia is almost here as UFC 305 is hosted in Perth, Australia at the RAC Arena on August 17. There are incredible high-level fights on the card that involve Australian or New Zealand natives. The main event is one of 2024's most anticipated fights, as Dricus Du Plessis is defending his middleweight title against former champion and No. 2 ranked Israel Adesanya. The co-main event is a banger fight in the flyweight division as No. 4 ranked Kai Kara-France takes on No. 7 ranked Steve Erceg. There is then a high-stakes fight in the lightweight division, as No. 5 ranked Mateusz Gamrot will battle No. 11 ranked Dan Hooker. Though these fights are entertaining, the most underrated fight at UFC 305 is one that involves fighters not from Australia or New Zealand.

Why you shouldn't miss the Li Jingliang vs. Carlos Prates fight

The most underrated fight at UFC 305 is Li Jingliang vs. Carlos Prates. This is a welterweight clash between two fighters who love to bang. Wrestling is not their preferred go-to style, which could make this fight a fun stand-up battle. Both come from high-level gyms as Jingliang trains at Kill Cliff FC, with top welterweights such as Gilbert Burns, Vicente Luque, and Shavkat Rakhmonov. Prates trains at Fighting Nerds, a Brazilian gym that is home to some impressive, rising prospects such as Caio Borralho, Jean Silva, and Mauricio Ruffy. Since both fighters come from great gyms with good fighters, it looks like they both can have good preparation to put on a good show, as the main card opener.

Jingliang's record stands at 19-8 as he has been competing since 2007. He is from China and that is where his first MMA fights were held by various organizations. 10 of his 19 wins have been won by knockout, while four were won by submission. Two career losses were done by submission, while the rest he lost by decision. Though he lacks grappling, he has a solid chin, as he has been dropped a few times and is impossible to put away. As a fighter who has a boxing style of striking, his most notable wins are Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, Santiago Ponzinibbio, and Muslim Salikhov.

While he is 19-6, Prates has been competing since 2012 as his first fights were at places such as the São Paulo Regionals. 14 of his 19 wins were by knockout, while three were by submission. As he is currently on an 11-fight winning streak, he has not lost a fight since 2019 while only being finished in 2017 and before. Though he has been knocked out and submitted in his early years, he is an improved fighter today as he has been looking impressive. Prates is a creative striker as he loves displaying knockout power at the proper range while his kicks and knees are threatening. He has had only two fights in the UFC, as they are both knockout victories over Trevin Giles and Charles Radtke.

Jingliang and Prates match up well with each other. Though Prates has a wide variety of attacks to give Jingliang problems, Jingliang has great power that can shut anyone's lights off at any moment. Jingliang is also extremely durable, meaning Prates will have to work if he is going to try to put him away. If Jingliang's toughness still remains even after his long layoff, this could be a Fight of the Night contender as they are already facing competition later at night with the three main fights. This is a step-up in competition for Prates, and it will be interesting to see how he deals with adversity if he does get some.