UFC 318 will mark the end of Dustin Poirier’s career as he challenges Max Holloway in the main event.
The show takes place at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, marking the sixth time the UFC has visited the area.
Max Holloway’s BMF title will be on the line as the legendary Dustin Poirier fights his final fight, on a card full of incredible matchups set to take place.
Here’s everything you need to know about the full fight card for UFC 318.
Max Holloway vs Dustin Poirier
The main event of UFC 318 sees Poirier taking to the octagon for the final time in his third battle with Holloway.
Poirier will retire after UFC 318 and welcome his first son into the world in what will be a huge life change for the former Interim UFC Lightweight champion.
He hasn’t fought since Islam Makhachev choked out Poirier in June last year, ending his chances of becoming a full UFC Lightweight champion for the first time in his career.
Holloway is also coming off a loss to a top champion, having been defeated by Ilia Topuria in his last outing, so a win over the retiring legend will be crucial for his ascent back into title contention.
Paulo Costa vs Roman Kopylov
In their rescheduled bout, Paulo Costa battles Roman Kopylov on the main card of UFC 318.
Costa vs Kopylov was moved from UFC 317 to UFC 318 for unknown reasons, but it has been quickly added to the event in New Orleans.
Costa hasn’t fought since a split decision loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 302, so he will have to shake off the ring rust when he steps back into the octagon on July 19.
Meanwhile, his Russian opponent is coming off back-to-back wins in his last two fights, so he will be confident going into their match on the UFC 318 main card.
Michael Johnson vs Daniel Zellhuber
The last match on the UFC 318 main card pits the American Michael Johnson against his Mexican opponent, Daniel Zellhuber.
Johnson is a veteran of the Octagon, having debuted in the UFC all the way back in 2011.
The 39-year-old will prove to be a tough opponent for the 25-year-old Zellhuber, who will have to use his athleticism to counter the immense experience of Johnson.
Dan Ige vs Patricio Pitbull
In what may be Patricio Pitbull’s last chance to become a star in the UFC, he takes on Dan Ige in a late addition to UFC 318.
The Brazilian fighter lost his debut to Yair Rodriguez earlier this year after coming into the company following an incredible run as a legend in Bellator.
However, despite being arguably Bellator’s greatest ever fighter, he may be battling for his career against a dangerous and motivated Dan Ige on July 19.
Kevin Holland vs Daniel Rodriguez
Daniel Rodriguez and Kevin Holland are another fairly late addition to this card and should put on a good show in New Orleans.
Holland is a dangerous fighter, but he has shown up when taking on some of the elite fighters in the division, which will give Rodriguez hope in this Welterweight bout.
Prelims
The biggest prelim of the evening pits Cameroonian Ateba Gautier in a middleweight clash with his Swiss counterpart, Robert Valentin.
Gautier won his UFC debut earlier this year with a first-round knockout against Jose Daniel Medina, adding to his 7-1-0 record in MMA so far.
“The Silent Assassin” will hope to continue his impressive streak against “Robzilla”, a Swiss fighter who lost his first two UFC fights.
Gautier’s height, weight, and reach advantage should help him beat the Swiss fighter, but the untested up-and-comer should be wary that anything can happen in the UFC.
There are three other fights currently announced to be taking place on the UFC 318 prelims. The first is Marvin Vettori vs Brendan Allen, as the #10 and #11 ranked Middleweights battle, each with an eye on a future title shot.
The second pits Kyler Phillips against Vinicius Oliveira, in a battle between two men with impressive records in the UFC.
The final bout is a Welterweight bout. which pits Francisco Prado against Nikolay Veretennikov.
Early prelims
Three fights have been announced for the early prelims. These include Jimmy Crute vs Marcin Prachnio, Adam Fugitt vs Islam Dulatov, Ryan Spann vs Lukasz Brzeski, Brunno Ferreira vs Jackson McVey, and the only women’s fight on the card, Carli Judice vs Nicolle Caliari.