Dustin Poirier has the chance to break records in his final fight as he prepares to make his bow in the UFC.
Poirier has announced that UFC 318 will be his last event, as he retires from the sport to spend more time with his family.
“The Diamond” will battle Max Holloway in a trilogy fight in Louisiana, ending his career in his hometown against a man Poirier has defeated twice before.
He will be confident of a win at the event, which could see Poirier breaking a record to cement himself as a UFC legend.
Dustin Poirier can break the Lightweight knockout record by beating Max Holloway
Poirier can become the all-time record holder for the most knockouts in the UFC Lightweight division if he can stop Holloway at UFC 318.
“The Diamond” already boasts nine knockouts or TKOs in his Lightweight career, which is joint top of the list alongside Drew Dober.
Dober has held the record since his 2023 victory over Ricky Glenn, although Poirier matched him by knocking out Benoit St Denis at UFC 299.
| Fighter | (T)KO’s in the UFC Lightweight division |
|---|---|
| Drew Dober | 9 |
| Dustin Poirier | 9 |
| Melvin Guillard | 7 |
| Edson Barboza | 7 |
| BJ Penn/Jim Miller/etc | 6 |
The two fighters are neck-and-neck at the top of the leaderboard, ahead of Melvin Guillard and Edson Barboza, who sit at seven apiece.
With three devastating losses in his last three fights, it seems unlikely that the 36-year-old Dober will extend his own record.
This gives Poirier the chance to cement himself even further into UFC folklore by knocking out Holloway, although that is easier said than done.
Max Holloway will be motivated to beat Dustin Poirier in their trilogy fight
Despite having the chance to break records in his final fight, Poirier will not be guaranteed a victory in his retirement bout.
Holloway is one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC Lightweight division, although he has struggled in recent years when coming up against some of the elite fighters in the division.
This includes Poirier, who boasts two wins over “Blessed” in 2012 and 2019, respectively.
Holloway will be incredibly motivated to put those losses behind him and avenge them before sending Poirier off into the sunset as he ends his career in MMA.
It is hard to pick who will win this fight in what should be one of the greatest trilogy-enders of all time.