An electric opening slate gave way to a series of competitive and compelling fights on the UFC 318 pay-per-view main card on Saturday night at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Veteran lightweight Michael Johnson kicked things off with a measured, quality effort against heavily-favored Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Daniel Zellhuber, with Patricio Pitbull collecting his first UFC victory in the following bout by getting ahead of game featherweight fixture Dan Ige early and holding on down the stretch. In the featured bout of the evening, Daniel Rodriguez picked up arguably the biggest win of his career, defeating Kevin Holland, while Paulo Costa turned back the clock a little while collecting his first win in nearly three years by besting Roman Kopylov.
Prelim Results | Official Scorecards | Order PPV
And in the main event, Max Holloway successfully defended his BMF championship, winning a clean, but hard-fought victory over the retiring Dustin Poirier.
It was a special night in “The Big Easy” and it was amazing to see Poirier get the send-off he deserved.
This page will be updated live throughout the night with full fight recaps and exclusive post-fight interviews with every winner.
This is why we love this sport.
Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier paired off in another classic to close out UFC 318 and Poirier’s outstanding career, thrilling the crowd at Smoothie King Center with an all-action, back-and-forth fight that culminated with Holloway successfully defending his BMF title.
The Hawaiian started quickly, channeling some of what he brought against Justin Gaethje last year at UFC 300 and hurting the home state star early. But Poirier steadied himself and responded in kind, battering Holloway in the back half of the second, much to the delight of the partisan crowd. Over the next two rounds, the familiar combatants traded blows, “Blessed” offering more variety and volume, only for Poirier to counter with stiff shots of his own.
In the final five minutes, the rivals continued to trade in the same fashion, with the champion’s volume out-pacing the challenger’s single-serving power shots. As expected, Holloway invited Poirier to the center in the final 10 seconds, and “The Diamond” obliged, the two men swinging to the horn and the end of Poirier’s incredible career.
All three judges scored the fight in favor of Holloway, who became the first person to defend the BMF title while simultaneously making things very interesting at the top of the lightweight division. While it was Holloway’s victory, the final moment was all Poirier’s, as the departing fan favorite was given a tremendous farewell package and a well-deserved opportunity to say his thank you and goodbyes.
Paulo Costa said he needed to get back to his early, aggressive ways inside the Octagon and to a large extent, that’s what he did in collecting a quality win over Roman Kopylov.
The former title challenger was sharp out of the chute, utilizing all his weapons and getting Kopylov flinching on every feint while stinging him multiple times over the first 10 minutes. Kopylov started to work back into the fight in the waning minutes of the second, but Costa steeled himself in the third, absorbing a few good, hard shots while still out-landing his Russian adversary by a considerable margin.
While it went the distance, the verdict was never in question. This was a much-needed sharp effort from Costa, who claimed his first victory since besting Luke Rockhold at UFC 278 nearly three years ago.
What an absolutely chaotic scrap between Daniel Rodriguez and Kevin Holland!
After a close and competitive first round, Rodriguez dropped Holland twice in the second, initially hurting him with a clean counter left and following up while he had Texas’ “Trailblazer” dazed. But to his credit, Holland came out attacking in the third, putting Rodriguez on the deck and hurting him multiple times before the San Gabriel Valley native rallied to finish the fight in mount, levelling shots at the prone Holland.
When the scores were collected and totalled, all three judges saw the fight in favor of Rodriguez, who picked up his second win of the year and third consecutive victory overall. This was a gutsy effort from both men, and a reminder of just how game “D-Rod” has always been.
Patricio Pitbull turned in a much better showing in his second foray into the Octagon, collecting a unanimous decision win over Dan Ige in New Orleans.
The former Bellator standout used his grappling effectively, changing levels and getting Ige to the canvas at opportune times, while also stinging the notoriously durable Hawaiian in the second. Ige hurt Pitbull early in the third, busting his nose, but the Brazilian did a good job of staying face, clinching, and avoiding further damage.
For the fourth consecutive fight, the judges were called upon to render a verdict, and when the scores were collected and tabulated, it was Pitbull that came out ahead. The win brings the 37-year-old level in the UFC and should lead to his breaking into the rankings when they update next week.
Make it three straight for Michael Johnson as the veteran lightweight kicked off the UFC 318 pay-per-view main card with a good win over game Dana White’s Contender Series grad Daniel Zellhuber.
Johnson came out flashing speed, as always, out-landing his younger foe over the opening five minutes before adding in a clean knockdown in the second. Zellhuber recovered and had his best five minutes in the third, but Johnson hung with him the whole way, continuing to land throughout.
All three judges scored the fight in favor of “The Menace,” who scored a significant betting upset to kick off the main card in New Orleans. The 39-year-old is on a nice little run, and continues to be a competitive threat in the thick of the lightweight division.
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!
