Tag Archives: Max Holloway

UFC 318: Max Holloway defeats Dustin Poirier as ‘The Diamond’ bids farewell in emotional homecoming

Posted on by
Reply

Veteran UFC fighter Dustin Poirier may not have gotten the fairytale ending he dreamed of at UFC 318, but the Louisiana native walked away from the sport with pride, love, and respect as he officially announced his retirement on Saturday night in front of a roaring hometown crowd at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.

In the main event of the evening, Poirier (30-10 MMA, 22-9 UFC) lost a unanimous decision to Max Holloway (27-8 MMA, 23-8 UFC) in a five-round war for the “BMF” title. Judges scored the bout 48-47, 49-46, and 49-46 in favor of Holloway, who avenged two prior losses to Poirier in his career.

Poirier Retires With Head Held High

Following the fight, Poirier, 36, laid down his gloves and delivered a heartfelt retirement speech, met with a standing ovation. The tribute included a video montage honoring his storied career and contributions both inside and outside the Octagon.

“I feel loved by the fans, Louisiana, and the company,” Poirier said. “I didn’t know I’d touch as many people as I did just by chasing my dreams.”

Poirier exits the UFC as a former interim lightweight champion, one of the most entertaining and respected fighters in the promotion’s history, and a community hero who earned the UFC’s inaugural Forrest Griffin Community Award.

Fight Recap: Holloway Wins the War

Despite the loss, Poirier didn’t go down without a fight. After being dropped early by a sharp right from Holloway, Poirier answered in Round 2 by landing a powerful shot of his own and attempting a guillotine choke—though Holloway managed to escape.

Read Also: Lakers land Marcus Smart on $11m deal: Smart signing or risky gamble?

Both men traded strikes at a high level throughout the five rounds. Round 3 was dominated by Holloway, while Rounds 4 and 5 saw tightly contested action. In the final seconds, the pair stood toe-to-toe in a slugfest, with Holloway appearing to edge out the closing exchange.

With the victory, Holloway retains the symbolic BMF title and improves to 4-1 in his last five fights, bouncing back from a KO loss to Ilia Topuria.

UFC 318 Full Results:

  • Max Holloway def. Dustin Poirier – Unanimous Decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46)
  • Paulo Costa def. Roman Kopylov – Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
  • Daniel Rodriguez def. Kevin Holland – Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Patricio Freire def. Dan Ige – Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Michael Johnson def. Daniel Zellhuber – Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Vinicius Oliveira def. Kyler Phillips – Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Brendan Allen def. Marvin Vettori – Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
  • Nikolay Veretennikov def. Francisco Prado – Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Ateba Gautier def. Robert Valentin – TKO (strikes), Round 1, 1:10
  • Islam Dulatov def. Adam Fugitt – KO (punches), Round 1, 4:06
  • Jimmy Crute def. Marcin Prachnio – Submission (armbar), Round 1, 4:42
  • Ryan Spann def. Lukasz Brzeski – Submission (guillotine), Round 1, 2:47
  • Brunno Ferreira def. Jackson McVey – Submission (armbar), Round 1, 3:35
  • Carli Judice def. Nicolle Caliari – TKO (knee, punches), Round 3, 1:30