Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway will rekindle their UFC rivalry when they step into the octagon one final time at UFC 318.
With Dustin Poirier announcing his retirement from MMA, Dana White pulled out all the stops to give him a send-off befitting “The Diamond”.
Poirier and Holloway have already fought twice in the UFC, with Poirier winning both times in two of the most exciting fights in MMA history.
The first was an electric bout, but what followed it was a fight with The Korean Zombie that Poirier will want to forget about.
Dustin Poirier forced Max Holloway to tap out to a first-round submission
The first time Poirier and Holloway stepped into the octagon together at UFC 143, it was a short night for the pair.
Holloway was a relative unknown at the time, and only stepped in to face Poirier at short notice due to an injury to Ricardo Lamas, who himself had replaced the injured Erik Koch.
This gave Holloway the chance to make his UFC debut as a sprightly 20-year-old. Given that Poirier was an up-and-comer on a three-win streak, this fight went exactly as you’d imagine.
Holloway came flying out of the blocks with some jumping knee strikes that Poirier easily countered. “The Diamond” countered a lot of impressive strikes from “Blessed”, taking him down with an impressive throw midway through the round.
He mounted the younger fighter, managing to lock in a sitting triangle armbar that Holloway could do nothing about but tap out and let the referee end the fight.
It was a comprehensive, dominant win for Poirier that everyone expected, although he may have gotten too complacent when he took on the Korean Zombie in his next bout.
The Korean Zombie beat Dustin Poirier by submission just three months later
Poirier walked into UFC on Fuel TV in 2012 with the chance to earn a shot at the UFC Featherweight title, but that soon all came crashing down for “The Diamond”.
His opponent that night Chan Sung Jung, better known as The Korean Zombie, who had become a fan-favorite fighter for his all-action style and incredible and unique fights.
This was no different, and both men pushed each other to the limits, putting on one of the most complete fights in UFC history.
Poirier and Zombie engaged in a wild back-and-forth war, mixing striking, grappling, and submissions in perfect harmony, making this fight the perfect introduction to what MMA is and why it is so exciting.
In the second round, Zombie hit a beautiful flying knee that caught Poirier unaware, before landing numerous more knees as he had him backed against the cage.
Poirier attempted a spear tackle on Zombie, who beautifully rolled through the attack and transitioned himself on top of his opponent, as fans chanted “ZOMBIE!” in recognition of his impressive maneuvering.
The bout continued in a back-and-forth fashion until the fourth round, when a punching combination followed by another flying knee knocked Poirier to the canvas.
Zombie quickly locked in a choke hold before the referee told him to release it, as Poirier was unconscious, and he was announced as the winner.
This was one of the best fights of the year and was even awarded the 2012 Fight of the Year award by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
However, Poirier would never have expected to have such trouble after a comprehensive victory over Holloway just months prior.