UFC 318 RESULTS: HOLLOWAY SPOILS THE HOMETOWN RETIREMENT OF DUSTIN POIRIER

The feeling around UFC 318 was that it set up for Dustin Poirier to have a fairytale ending in his final fight, taking place in his home state of Louisiana, with New Orleans legend Lil Wayne walking him out, and he was receiving his roses all throughout fight week, and deservingly so.

His opponent, Max Holloway, had different plans though. In his third attempt to beat Dustin Poirier, Holloway used his volume to stack up significant strikes against Poirier, and while there was a ton of back-and-forth action, in the end, Holloway left no doubt as he won by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47).

The first round showed a fast pace from Max Holloway, and it was evident right away that Holloway had the clear speed advantage in the striking. Holloway was throwing in combinations all fight, and he got off to a fast start, knocking down Poirier in the first round and knocking him down again in the second round.

Halfway through the second round, the fight was starting to feel like it was going to be one-way traffic, but the Diamond wasn’t going out without putting up a fight. Poirier knocked Holloway down at the end of the second round, just minutes after being knocked down himself, and then he did what the fans wanted from him all week: he jumped the guillotine!

Although he didn’t secure his favorite submission, Poirier followed the knockdown with some heavy elbows to end the second round.

From then on, it was Holloway who had control of the fight for the most part, landing at a higher rate than Poirier, and showed that he’s ready to contend at 155 pounds. Holloway has a plethora of options now as he could likely face one of Charles Oliveira, Paddy Pimblett, or Justin Gaethje next to put himself even closer to a rematch against Lightweight champion Ilia Topuria.

As for Poirier, he exited the sport in the same fashion that he entered it, with grit, toughness, and a willingness to enter the fire that has captured fans’ hearts throughout his illustrious career. He deserved a week like this to receive his flowers, and while he did lose on Saturday night, he achieved something that not many fighters do: he retired on his own terms, and he never cut any corners along the way.

Other notable results from UFC 318

MW Bout: Paulo Costa returns to the win column for the first time since 2022, defeating Roman Kopylov via Unanimous Decision. (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

WW Bout: Daniel Rodriguez wins his third in a row against Kevin Holland via Unanimous decision. (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

FW Bout: Patricio Pitbull gets his first UFC win over veteran Dan Ige via unanimous decision. (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

LW Bout: 39-year-old Michael Johnson defeats up-and-comer Daniel Zelhuber via unanimous decision. (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)