Main Card
- Max Holloway def. Dustin Poirier via Decision, Unanimous
- Paulo Costa def. Roman Kopylov via Decision, Unanimous
- Daniel Rodriguez def. Kevin Holland via Decision, Unanimous
- Patricio Pitbull def. Dan Ige via Decision, Unanimous
- Michael Johnson def. Daniel Zellhuber via Decision, Unanimous
Preliminary Card
- Vinicius Oliveira def. Kyler Phillips via Decision, Unanimous
- Brendan Allen def. Marvin Vettori via Decision, Unanimous
- Nikolay Veretennikov def. Francisco Prado via Decision, Split
- Ateba Gautier def. Robert Valentin via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:10)
Early Prelims
- Islam Dulatov def. Adam Fugitt via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:06)
- Jimmy Crute def. Marcin Prachnio via Submission, Armbar (RD 1, 4:32)
- Ryan Spann def. Lukasz Brzeski via Submission, Guillotine Choke (RD 1, 2:37)
- Brunno Ferreira def. Jackson McVey via Submission, Armbar (RD 1, 3:35)
- Carli Judice def. Niclle Caliari via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 1:30)
Dustin Poirier, a fan favorite who remained one of the lightweight division’s top contenders for the better part of a decade, officially stepped away from MMA after a loss to career-long rival Max Holloway on Saturday night.
Poirier gave fans one last memorable performance before departing the sport, getting into a back-and-forth five-round brawl against Holloway, which he lost via unanimous decision in the end (48-47, 49-46 & 49-46).
The fight headlined UFC 318, which took place at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, Poirier’s home state.
Holloway had a hot start to the fight, dropping Poirier just a couple of minutes into the bout with a clean right cross. The former featherweight champ had an impressive follow-up to the shot, clipping the “Diamond” while he was working back up to his feet, putting him back to the mat with a hard left hook.
A strong start in the fight for Holloway only continued through to the second, where a right hand wobbled Poirier, causing him to shoot for a takedown while trying to recover. Holloway found himself on top after a brief scramble, giving him the chance to keep landing ground and pound shots.
Holloway let Poirier back up to his feet later in the round, leading to a sequence which swung momentum in the other direction.
Despite getting stunned significantly just minutes prior, Poirier showed that he was still in the fight by flooring Holloway with a right hook during the second half of round two. Poirier pulled guard with a guillotine choke attempt after Holloway got back to his feet, something he has notoriously attempted throughout his career.
While unsuccessful with the choke, Poirier was able to end the round in top control, landing ground and pound shots. The late moments allowed Poirier to make the case for potentially stealing the round from Holloway, something he did on one of three official scorecards.
Poirier spent the next three rounds marching down Holloway with strikes, coming forward with punches. But Holloway, who was warned by his coaches not to be forced backward by Poirier, found success on the back foot. He was able to explode forward with his own punches at times, scoring with thudding blows which would often overshadow the moments that Poirier found.
Holloway continued to land to the head with clean punches, while also keeping his output much more diverse than Poirier’s, targeting the body and legs as well.
After 25 minutes of battle, it was a strong start paired with championship round success from Holloway which earned him a win, keeping him the UFC’s “Baddest Mother F*****” champion, a vanity belt used for fan favorite super-fights over the years.
The fight was an impressive win for Holloway, who was appearing at lightweight for the first time since dropping the UFC Featherweight Championship to Ilia Topuria in October. But, the focus was all on Poirier afterward, as the entire fight week had been made to honor his retirement from the sport.
“It’s been overwhelming, honestly,” Poirier said about the fight week after competing on Saturday. “I feel appreciated, I feel seen … I feel loved by the fans, Louisiana, and the company. It’s been incredible. I didn’t know I touched as many people as I did by chasing my dreams.”
An 18-year-old Poirier made his amateur MMA debut back in 2007, beginning a career in the sport which would last nearly 20 years in total. Once a high school dropout who frequently found himself in trouble for getting into fights, Poirier said that competing in MMA helped him focus his life.
“I definitely think fighting has opened the path to redemption for me,” Poirier said in the 2011 documentary Fightville. “I’ve been in boot camps, in juvenile detentions, and all this stuff that’s supposed to help me, and that didn’t help me. But when I found something that I wanted and I was really going to chase, [that helped me].”
After obtaining an undefeated pro record of seven finish wins on the regional scene, Poirier joined the WEC roster in 2010, then started fighting in the UFC a year later.
One of Poirier’s early fights came against an 18-year-old Max Holloway, who only had four pro bouts to his name by the time they met at UFC 143. Poirier prevailed in that bout via first-round submission.
Poirier would face the who’s who of 2010s greats between featherweight and lightweight over the next few years: Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Anthony Pettis, Eddie Alvarez, The Korean Zombie, Justin Gaethje, Islam Makhachev, Charles Oliveira, and many others all crossed paths with Poirier. Win or loss, the throughline in most performances was that Poirier made it a memorable fight.
While Poirier became a lightweight interim champ once, defeating Holloway in a five-round meeting back in 2019, an undisputed title reign never came his way as a pro. He lost a title shot to Nurmagomedov in 2019, then Oliveira in 2021, and most recently Makhachev last year.
But what Poirier lacked in title success he made up for by being a beloved character in the UFC who consistently put on big performances. With 15 Performance/Fight of the Night bonuses (fourth most out of all UFC fighters), and 15 finishes (fifth most out of all UFC fighters), Poirier was a walking highlight reel during his 32-fight run in the promotion.
“The Diamond” was shown a video package on Saturday night featuring messages from other prominent UFC fighters, honoring the legacy he is leaving behind in the sport.
“I’m forever in debt to the fans, the company,” Poirier said afterward. “Mixed martial arts has taught me everything I know. I’m just thankful I got to walk this walk.”
