The trilogy fight between Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier may not have been a microcosm of their first two encounters, but it delivered an electrifying final 15 seconds when Holloway and the retiring Poirier traded blows in Round 5.
In the final instalment of a trilogy that began in 2012, Holloway earned a unanimous decision over Poirier in the main event of UFC 318 in New Orleans – 48-47, 49-46, 49-46 – silencing any lingering doubts about his standing in the lightweight division and paying a gracious farewell to a rival who has defined his career in many ways.
Holloway (27-8 MMA) was classy in victory against Poirier, as he had lost the first two fights of the series before returning the favour in Louisiana native Poirier's last MMA bout.
"The baddest man alive, bro," said Holloway, 33. "Give it up for Dustin Poirier."
A first-round knockdown from the Hawaiian set the tone early as Holloway nearly finished Poirier (30-10) but his 36-year-old opponent persevered.
By Round 4, Poirier had little energy left but admitted post-fight that he was impressed that the former featherweight champion Holloway's striking was still as sharp as ever. According to the final stats on the broadcast, Holloway outlanded Poirier 113-99 in significant head strikes.
"I thought he was going to be in here cracking a little bit harder, which he was," Poirier said of Holloway. "This guy is tough to deal with when he's in front of you. He's slick. He's crafty. He's fast. He's the [BMF] champ. I got nothing but respect for Max, man. He's one of the good guys."
The loss ends a brilliant career for Poirier, who was UFC Lightweight interim champion in 2019, and also defeated the likes of Connor McGregor twice in addition to victories over Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler.
Holloway made his first defence of the "BMF" title a successful one since winning it last April at UFC 300. It is unclear what direction the belt takes, as it is not associated with a division and has been used infrequently since November 2019
Paulo Costa of Brazil got back in the win column with a unanimous decision over Roman Kopylov, utilising his boxing to sweep the cards 30-27, 30-27, 29-28. Costa (15-4) remains in the middleweight title picture, while Kopylov (14-4) had won his last two fights.
The next two fights also saw another string of decisions with welterweight Daniel Rodriguez outlasting Kevin Holland despite a late rally from Holland nearly finishing him in Round 3 with strikes. The cards read 29-28, 29-28, 29-28, as Holland suffered a 14th defeat against 28 wins.
Patricio Pitbull earned his first UFC victory with a win by unanimous decision over featherweight Dan Ige by identical 29-28 scores. Pitbull's wrestling was too much for Ige, who entered the fight having lost two of his last three fights. Pitbull (37-8) last fought in April at UFC 314, where Ige (19-10) earned a win on the same card.
UFC 318's pay-per-view got underway with lightweight Michael Johnson earning a unanimous decision in an upset of Daniel Zellhuber. The 39-year-old Johnson (24-19) was a significant underdog entering the fight but won the cards with matching 29-28 scores. A second-round knockdown swung the fight in Johnson's favor, as Zellhuber (15-3) now has lost back-to-back outings.
