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Journey To The Trilogy | Max Holloway vs Dustin Poirier
Legends Max Holloway And Dustin Poirier Collide For A Third Time In The Big Easy At UFC 318: Holloway vs Poirier 3
UFC 318: Holloway vs Poirier 3 is a lot of things. It’s the farewell bout for Dustin Poirier, a fan-favorite whose imprint on the sport transcends wins or losses. It’s a return to lightweight for Max Holloway, who makes the walk for the first time since Ilia Topuria knocked him out and shut the door on regaining the featherweight title. It’s also the fourth BMF title fight, and Holloway hopes to become the first man to defend the symbolic title.
Ultimately, though, it’s the trilogy bout between Holloway and Poirier, a saga which started back in 2012 when they were 20 and 23 years old, respectively. Since that first matchup, both men ascended to future Hall of Fame members and championship-level fighters. Beyond that, Poirier and Holloway became fan-favorites with reputations as two of the good guys in the sport.
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On July 19, they get to dance one last time as Poirier rides off into the Louisiana sunset. Before they lock horns for a third time, let’s take a look at how the first two bouts went down:
The First Fight — UFC 143: Diaz vs Condit (February 4, 2012)
Holloway stepped in for an injured Ricardo Lamas as the youngest fighter on the roster at 20 years old when he faced Poirier for the first time. The two both rode in on four-fight winning streaks. Holloway collected his first four professional wins in 2010 and 2011 in Hawaii while Poirier picked up two finishes and two decision wins between a quartet of fights in WEC and UFC events.
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Although Poirier himself was just 23 years old, his exposure to and experience against top-level opponents shined early as he picked up a triangle armbar submission to hand Holloway his first loss. The finish earned Poirier his first performance bonus, and he would get a crack at The Korean Zombie his next time out while Holloway would bounce back for his first UFC win against Pat Schilling.
The Rematch — UFC 236: Holloway vs Poirier 2 (April 13, 2019)
More than seven years later, Poirier and Holloway collided with the interim lightweight title on the line. In the intervening years, Holloway embarked on a legendary 13-fight winning streak, including title fight wins over Anthony Pettis, José Aldo and Brian Ortega. “Blessed” was now in the conversation as the greatest featherweight of all-time, and he had double-champ status in his sights after handing “T-City” his first professional loss at UFC 231.
Meanwhile, Poirier had found greener pastures in the lightweight division, collecting wins over the likes of Pettis, Justin Gaethje and Eddie Alvarez. After defeating Alvarez in an epic rematch, Poirier made it known that he deserved a title shot after beating three former champions (Gaethjewas a champion in another organization before joining the UFC roster).
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With Khabib Nurmagomedov sidelined, Holloway and Poirier made the walk for an epic five-round back-and-forth war. Poirier got out ahead first, cracking Holloway with heavy punches and rattling the Hawaiian. However, Holloway and his legendary chin held sturdy, and eventually, Holloway’s volume and activity started to overwhelm the Louisiana native.
The power difference was evident, though. As the two traded shots, Holloway was peppering Poirier while “The Diamond” warranted bigger reactions whenever one of his thudding punches landed, swinging momentum his way each time. With Holloway gaining momentum in the third and fourth rounds, Poirier was able to connect with a strike on Holloway before the penultimate round concluded, opening up a gnarly cut on the Hawaiian. The fifth round didn’t see any dip in action, and Poirier relied on his physicality to smother Holloway and wrest the judges’ decision, handing Holloway his first loss since 2013. The victory set Poirier up for a unification bout with Khabib Numragomedov while Holloway returned to featherweight to defend his belt against Frankie Edgar.
UFC 318: Holloway vs Poirier 3 took place live from Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana on July 19, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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