Dustin Poirier bids farewell to fighting as he prepares for his final ever fight before retirement at UFC 318.
It will be the third time that Dustin Poirier clashes with Max Holloway in the UFC, with Poirier winning both encounters earlier in their careers.
Poirier is retiring to raise his family as he welcomes his son into the world very soon, saying goodbye to the fighting world with one last hurrah against one of his greatest rivals.
That bout, which is for the symbolic BMF title, headlines a card that includes a rescheduled bout from UFC 317, an up-and-coming star’s biggest test in the middle division, and many more exciting fights.
Here’s everything you need to know about what promises to be a fantastic night of MMA action at UFC 318.
- READ MORE – Dustin Poirier was choked out by Korean Zombie just months after submitting Max Holloway in their first bout
What time is UFC 318?
UFC 318 takes place at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, on July 19, 2025.
The event is expected to start with the early preliminaries at 6:00 PM (ET), 3:00 PM (PT), and 11:00 PM (BST).
Then, the preliminaries at 8:00 PM (ET), 5:00 PM (PT), and 01:00 AM (BST).
Following on from that, the main card gets underway at 10:00 PM (ET), 7:00 PM (PT), and 03:00 AM (BST).
How to watch and stream UFC 318?
In the US, the UFC 318 early prelims will be available to watch on the UFC Fight Pass from 6:00 PM (ET) and 3:00 PM (PT).
The preliminaries can be watched on ESPN, while both the prelims and the main card will be able to be streamed through ESPN+. The PPV will cost viewers $79.99 in order to watch it fully.
Over in the UK, fans will be able to watch the UFC 318 prelims through the UFC Fight Pass from 11:00 PM (BST) before switching over to TNT Sports for coverage of the main card from 01:00 AM (BST).
This will be fans’ final time to see Poirier in action, so it is a can’t-miss for UFC viewers all over the world, and especially those in his hometown of Louisiana.
UFC 318 – Who’s fighting?
Main Card
- Lightweight: Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier
- Featherweight: Dan Ige vs. Patricio Pitbull
- Middleweight: Ateba Abega Gautier vs. Robert Valentin
- Middleweight: Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov
- Lightweight: Michael Johnson vs. Daniel Zellhuber
Prelims
- Middleweight: Marvin Vettori vs. Brendan Allen
- Bantamweight: Kyler Phillips vs. Vinicius Oliveira
- Middleweight: Ikram Aliskerov vs. Brunno Ferreira
Early prelims
- Light Heavyweight: Jimmy Crute vs. Marcin Prachnio
- Welterweight: Adam Fugitt vs. Islam Dulatov
- Women’s Flyweight: Carli Judice vs. Nicolle Caliari
Dana White confirmed UFC 318 was built around Dustin Poirier
It is no surprise that the UFC 318 card is being built around a legend like Poirier, but it is nice that UFC boss Dana White confirmed it.
In a recent interview on a New Orleans news show, Dana White confirmed that UFC’s long-awaited return to ‘The Big Easy’ was for one reason only.
“Dustin Poirier is a big star for us,” White told WDSU News. “He’s accomplished a lot in the sport. This is for him, to be honest with you. This is for him. He wanted to have his last fight and end his career in New Orleans, so here we are.”
UFC 318 will make Poirier’s 32nd and final fight of his incredible career in the UFC.