At UFC 318, Dustin Poirier will look to close out his career with a win over a fellow legend of the sport.
From Poirier’s dream walk out to the fight taking place in Louisiana, the stage has been perfectly set for ‘The Diamond’ on July 19.
That being said, there have been some concerns about Poirier’s decision to announce his retirement heading into Saturday night and whether that will impact his motivation.
Max Holloway has a lot of respect for his opponent but that won’t stop him from playing the spoiler in order to get his own career back on track.
One of the stars of UFC 318 believes that their differing career paths could play a vital role at the Smoothie King Center.
- READ MORE: Max Holloway told by UFC lightweight he was badly wrong about Ilia Topuria’s destructive 3-fight run
Robert Valentin gives Max Holloway the skill and mental edge ahead of UFC 318
In a recent interview with Bloody Elbow, Robert Valentin previewed his upcoming matchup at UFC 318 and the BMF title fight that will headline the card.
The former ‘The Ultimate Fighter‘ contestant believes that it’s hard to gauge how Dustin Poirier’s mindset will be different heading into July 19.
On one hand, he’s already come to terms with hanging up the gloves, but on the other, he’ll want to get his hand raised one more time in front of his home fans.
What Valentin does know is that Max Holloway isn’t in this position and having recently come up short when challenging for the featherweight title, ‘Blessed’ will be fired up to get back in the win column.
“I think for Max Holloway, there’s still a possibility to make another title run and go for another sprint. So, I think he’s going to bring a different energy to the fight than Dustin Poirier.”
Valentin also broke down where he believes Holloway holds the skill and technical advantages in the fight.
While he has suffered two defeats to ‘The Diamond’ in the past, a lot has changed since the last time they faced off in 2019.
“Also, his striking, he’s just more crisp than Dustin Poirier,” Valentin said. “I think this is going to make the difference in that fight. Hand speed, foot movement, and counter striking.
“For this one, I’m going with Max Holloway. I’m also a little bit biased, I’m a huge Max Holloway fan and have been for many years… I’m going with Holloway with a stoppage.”
- READ MORE: Nate Diaz reignites Dustin Poirier feud by mocking rival days out from his UFC 318 retirement fight
Robert Valentin struggled to make reads on his opponent ahead of UFC 318
Robert Valentin showed during his time on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’, where he doubled up as both a competitor and coach for Alexa Grasso’s team, that he has a great mind for MMA.
However, this hasn’t made his job any easier when trying to break down his upcoming opponent at UFC 318, the 23-year-old Ateba Gautier.
Valentin told Bloody Elbow that due to his opponent not being tested throughout his career, it’s hard to predict how he will react once they meet in New Orleans.
“It’s very hard to break down because studying him is very difficult because he’s never faced tough competition. So, you can see how he’s fighting when he’s fighting, I would say, lower tier competition and you don’t know how a fighter’s habits and how he really scraps when the fight gets ugly and when it doesn’t go your way.
“He definitely lacks some experience but yeah, obviously he has what it takes to be in the UFC otherwise Dana wouldn’t have signed him.”