Announcements
Max Holloway To Defend BMF Title Against Dustin Poirier At UFC 318
UFC Returns To New Orleans, Louisiana For The First Time In Nine Years For UFC 318: Holloway vs Poirier 3, Live From Smoothie King Center On July 19, 2025
UFC lightweight Dustin Poirier announced on The Pat McAfee Show that he will make his final walk to the Octagon when UFC returns to New Orleans for UFC 318 on July 19. In the main event, BMF champion Max Holloway will defend his belt against the hometown favorite in a trilogy matchup built on over a decade of shared history.
“There’s not a better guy I could think to fight in my retirement fight,” Poirier told Pat McAfee. "He’s a legend, former [undisputed] champion, current BMF champion, so we’re going to put on another war."
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For Holloway, this marks the beginning of a permanent move to the lightweight division. A win over a perennial contender like Poirier would immediately position the former featherweight king among the elite at 155 pounds.
The two first met over 13 years ago at UFC 143, when a 20-year-old Holloway made his promotional debut. Poirier, then a rising featherweight prospect, submitted the Hawaiian via triangle armbar in the first round to collect his fourth-straight UFC victory.
They ran it back seven years later, this time with the interim lightweight title on the line. Holloway entered as the reigning featherweight champion, fresh off defenses against José Aldo and Brian Ortega. After a five-round battle, Poirier emerged victorious to earn a taste of UFC gold and matchup with UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Now, they meet for a third and likely final time for the BMF title. Holloway won the belt with one of the most iconic finishes in the promotion’s history at UFC 300. Despite being moments away from securing the win on at least two of the judges’ scorecards, Holloway threw caution to the wind in the final 10 seconds and landed a right hand that knocked out Justin Gaethje right before the final horn.
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Every time these two step in the Octagon, they put their heart and soul into their performance, and nothing less should be expected when they collide in UFC 318’s main event inside Smoothie King Center on July 19.
Stay tuned to UFC.com for ongoing updates to the event and additional fight announcements.