Max Holloway vs Dustin Poirier 3 Confirmed For UFC 318

Dustin Poirier will round off his professional MMA career with a BMF Title fight against Max Holloway at UFC 318.

This will be the third time the pair have shared the UFC octagon, with ‘The Diamond’ winning the two previous fights in 2012 and 2019 respectively.

Max Holloway vs Dustin Poirier Trilogy Confirmed For UFC 318 Main Event

The main event for UFC 318 has been confirmed, with a mouth-watering trilogy between Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier going down on July 19th at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Not only is this a compelling main event, but it is also the third time ‘The Diamond’ and ‘Blessed’ will have done battle in their respective UFC careers.

The pair first fought way back in 2012, in what was actually Holloway’s UFC debut. The fight was at featherweight and it was Poirier who got his hand raised with a first round submission win over the Hawaiian, handing him the first loss of his career in the process.

The second Poirier vs Holloway dance came in 2019, this time at lightweight. Holloway this time was riding a 13 fight winning streak which also included four straight UFC Featherweight Title fight victories.

In what was actually Holloway’s lightweight debut in the UFC, Poirier once again got his hand raised at UFC 236. This time though the fight went the distance, with Poirier getting it does via unanimous decision after five competitive rounds.

Although Poirier is 2-0 up in their head-to-head rivalry, a third fight makes total sense. This is because both are approaching the end of their careers, particularly ‘The Diamond’. In fact, Poirier has revealed that no matter the result, this will be his farewell fight.

Holloway comes into this fight after losing to Ilia Topuria at UFC 308, where he was knocked out for the first time in his career after attempting to become a two-time UFC Featherweight Champion.

Poirier also lost his last fight to pound-for-pound star Islam Makhachev for the UFC Lightweight Title. Holloway vs Poirier 3 makes total sense in what is a fight that simply cannot fail to deliver. Period.

WHO WILL BE THE BADDEST OF THEM ALL???

The hometown kid @DustinPoirier challenges @BlessedMMA for the BMF belt in his final trip to the Octagon!#UFC318 | @GNOSports | Learn More: https://t.co/GUdzvfNyaj pic.twitter.com/fDnILvrVwW

— UFC (@ufc) April 25, 2025

Dustin Poirier Retirement Fight Has BMF Title On The Line

Not only is the Max Holloway vs Dustin Poirier trilogy a compelling lightweight contest, but it will also be for the coveted BMF Title.

UFC President Dana White first created the BMF Title back in 2019, and there have only been a total of three fights with the coveted belt on the line.

Both Poirier and Holloway have both fought for the BMF Title before, with ‘Blessed’ the reigning champion. He beat Justin Gaethje for the belt back at UFC 300, knocking ‘The Highlight’ out in the most dramatic fashion at the very end of Round 5.

Gaethje held the belt before that after he beat Poirier for it in a lightweight contest at UFC 291. The only other fight that has had the symbolic BMF belt on the line was Jorge Masvidal vs Nate Diaz back in 2019 at UFC 244.

Having the BMF Title on the line for the Holloway vs Poirier trilogy makes total sense. Dustin Poirier will have the chance to not only beat Max Holloway for a third time in his retirement fight, but also win the BMF belt before riding off into the sunset.

UFC 318 is sure to be a thrilling night of MMA action already and this is the only fight that has been announced!

The Max Holloway vs Dustin Poirier trilogy is on. July 19th at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans will be rapturous, with Poirier’s retirement fight being a historic third battle with fellow UFC stalwart ‘Blessed’ Holloway.

What a fight we have on our hands in the UFC 318 main event.