Li Jingliang returns from 23-month hiatus vs. Carlos Prates at UFC 305 in Perth

Li Jingliang is back.

Jingliang (19-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC) meets Carlos Prates (19-6 MMA, 2-0 UFC) in a welterweight bout at UFC 305 Aug. 17 at RAC Arena in Perth (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).

A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie following an initial report from UFC Weibo. The person requested anonymity because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Jingliang, 36, hasn’t competed since a split decision loss to Daniel Rodriguez at UFC 279 in September 2022. He was scheduled to face Tony Ferguson on that card, but a last-second switch up resulted in a 180-pound catchweight bout vs. Rodriguez. Prior to that, he scored a Performance of the Night TKO of Muslim Salikhov.

After earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series, Prates, 30, knocked out Trevin Giles in February and Charlie Radtke in June. He called for a fight at UFC 305 in Perth where his daughter lives, and the Brazilian will get his wish. Prates is on a nine-fight winning streak, with eight straight finishes.

The latest UFC 305 lineup now includes:

• Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya – for middleweight title
• Steve Erceg vs. Kai Kara-France
• Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Tai Tuivasa
• Li Jingliang vs. Carlos Prates
• Justin Tafa vs. Valter Walker
• Josh Culibao vs. Ricardo Ramos
• Tereza Bleda vs. Casey O’Neill
• Jack Jenkins vs. Gavin Tucker
• Tom Nolan vs. Alex Reyes

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 305.