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Dustin Poirier finally says goodbye to the octagon after almost two decades tonight as he bows out in a true battle of legends.
The former interim lightweight champion has long been one of the most beloved fighters in the UFC, and he has decided that the time has come to hang up his gloves. He is going to give fans one last war as he faces ‘BMF’ champion Max Holloway for the third time in their storied careers.
Their first meeting was back in Holloway’s early octagon career when he was just 20-years-old, with their second coming six years later for the interim lightweight belt. It was the highlight of Poirier’s career, and one of the low points for the Hawaiian who lost a lengthy winning streak.
This card is particularly top-heavy, with the rest of the fights making for a limited pay-per-view offering. Paulo Costa takes on Roman Kopylov in the co-main event, while the rest of the event is made up of fights that promise excitement, if not divisional relevance.
Bellator legend Patricio Pitbull faces Dan Ige, while Kevin Holland continues his welterweight run against the late-notice Daniel Rodriguez. Poirier’s old foe Michael Johnson also features against the surging Daniel Zellhuber.
Stay up to date with all the UFC 318 action on the Bloody Elbow live blog.
Poignant post-fight speech from Poirier
And now the gloves are off as he sets them on the canvas for one final time.
[Link]Poirier being shown an emotional retirement video package now
Prepare for tears – and that’s just anyone watching!
[Link]Max Holloway defeats Dustin Poirier by Unanimous Decision
Hard fight to score for either man, but Hollowa gets the result and leaves with the BMF title. 48-47 and 49-46×2 for the defending champion, who spoils the party in New Orleans
[Link]Dustin Poirier vs Max Holloway – Round 5
Volume from Holloway, bigger shots and pressure from Poirier. It’s the story of their 11 rounds to this point and it continues here. Holloway pokes Poirier in the eye, imagine the scenes if that stoppage went any longer. Huge body kick for the BMF champion, answered by a left hand. Two rights for Holloway. They agree to trade hell for leather in the final ten seconds and Holloway hurts Poirier, who holds on for life and sees the final bell in his last fight!
[Link]The final round of Dustin Poirier’s career
After everything he’s been through, it’s time for Dustin Poirier to hang up his gloves. One more round to go.
[Link]Dustin Poirier vs Max Holloway – Round 4
Poirier lands early with a left hand in the fourth. Poirier moving through the gears now, he has Max cut and lands a solid combination as we hit the halfway point of the penultimate round of Poirier’s career. Body kick from Holloway caught and Poirier hits him with an uppercut. Wow, 141 significant strikes from Holloway, 85 from Poirier. Volume in favor of the Hawaiian, but the bigger shots seem to have come from the hometown fighter.
[Link]Dustin Poirier vs Max Holloway – Round 3
Poirier flies out of the traps as a more timid Holloway emerges, still slightly wounded, from his corner. But soon they’re back to trading, just as they have for many rounds before this. Brief stoppage called by the ref for fingers near the eye but it’s quickly back into the action and Poirier lands big at the end, maybe stealing this round. Very good fight as we head to the championship rounds.
[Link]Dustin Poirier vs Max Holloway – Round 2
If Poirier was concerned about the sport leaving him, thus far it appears that he may be correct about that. Even just in the few minutes we’ve seen, he has been hit with big shots by Holloway that you’d imagine would be goodnight if coming from the likes of Ilia Topuria. DOWN GOES POIRIER AGAIN! BIG UPPERCUT FROM HOLLOWAY WHICH HE FOLLOWS UP AND DROPS HIS RIVAL. Poirier gets up and excites the crowd with some big shots to close out the round. AND NOW HOLLOWAY IS DOWN! POIRIER GOES FOR THE GUILLOTINE AND WE HAVE A FIGHT AFTER TWO ROUNDS!
[Link]Dustin Poirier vs Max Holloway – Round 1
Poirier throws big early and lands, testing the chin of Holloway in his first fight since being knocked out by Ilia Topuria last October. Good back-and-forth throughout the round, HOLLOWAY PUTS POIRIER DOWN WITH A RIGHT HAND! Poirier recovers well, solid round.
[Link]Here comes Max Holloway
He’s too beloved to be roundly booed, but he’s happily played the heel role this week in New Orleans!
[Link]Dustin Poirier makes the walk
Here he is, the pride of Lafayette, Louisiana! What a moment for a legend of MMA.
[Link]Paulo Costa defeats Roman Kopylov by Unanimous Decision
Back in the win column for Costa and he immediately calls out Khamzat Chimaev, who he brands a coward!
[Link]Paulo Costa dominant in the striking stats thus far
The Brazilian looking his best in years as he outstrikes Kopylov in all three rounds. He should win 30-27 across the board!
[Link]Co-Main Event time
Paulo Costa vs Roman Kopylov is your co-main event for tonight’s pay-per-view. Yes, that is a sentence I have written in 2025.
[Link]Daniel Rodriguez defeats Kevin Holland by Unanimous Decision
Massive win for D-Rod, maybe the biggest of his career to date as he now is probably back in the rankings at welterrweight
[Link]Kevin Holland springs back into life
Holland lands a big knee of his own as he sends Rodriguez stumbling! Can he do enough to turn this fight around?
[Link]D-Rod puts Kevin Holland down!
One of those wild big punches from Rodriguez drops Holland as he pushes for the finish. Lets Holland up and he sends him down for a second time! This is beautiful.
[Link]Patricio Pitbull has a win in the UFC!
Unanimous Decision with 29-28 across the board in yet another flat showing over Dan Ige.
[Link]Michae Johnson defeats Daniel Zellhuber by Unanimous Decision
That’s a brilliant victory for Johnson, who continues scoring wins and is now after going three on the bounce. Very impressive!
[Link]Another decision!
I messaged our editor Jordan Ellis during the Prado fight talking about a ‘night of finishes’ and ‘breaking the record from 2104’. We haven’t had one stoppage since. as Michael Johnson gets another three-rounders.
[Link]Johnson drops Zellhuber!
Straight left off the counter sends Zellhuber to the ground! What a showing from the elder fighter.
[Link]Michael Johnson vs Daniel Zellhuber up first
We kick off with a youth v experience matchup at lightweight.
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We head to the pay-per-view portion of tonight’s card
Kicking off with Poirier’s old pal Michael Johnson!
[Link]Vinicius Oliveira defeats Kyler Phillips by Unanimous Decision
29-28 across the board. The Brazilian wins again. For a three-rounder, that was exciting again.
[Link]Kyler Phillips and Vinicius Oliveira go the distance
It must be impossible to deal with Oliveira’s volume and awkwardness. What a fighter. He should win this one 30-27.
[Link]Kyler Phillips vs Vinicius Oliveira is next
Alright, enough decisions. Let’s see a big bantamweight finish!
[Link]Brendan Allen defeats Marvin Vettori by Unanimous Decision
30-27 x 2 and 29-28 as Allen wins. That seems very harsh on Vettori. Not to say that he won, but not one round?
[Link]Marvin Vettori and Brendan Allen GO THE DISTANCE
Unbelievable fight. Yes they go to decision as expected, but what a war. That third round might be one of my rounds of the year!
[Link]Marvin Vettori and Brendan Allen going to WAR
We are into the second round of Vettori vs Allen, which everyone expected to go the distance. But both men are really going for that finish.
[Link]Nikolay Veretennikov beats Francisco Prado by Split Decision
29-28 on two cards for Veretennikov and one for Prado. He celebrates in a big way, but he won’t be thrilled watching that one back!
A fight went the distance!
Francisco Prado and Nikolay Veretennikov slog to an exhausted decision. I have no idea how to score that.
[Link]We head to the third
Both men are completely shattered. Does either one have a finish in them? I hope so, I want Luke Rockhold and Michael Bisping’s 2014 record shattered tonight!
[Link]Veretennikov drops Prado
Within seconds of that knockdown they clinch against the cage and this crowd boos. You got five first round KOs, allow these fellas to work a bit!
[Link]We have a second round!
For the second time tonight we head to round two! Brilliant back-and-forth from both men in the first. This is such an exciting fight, despite the fans booing.
[Link]Veretennikov is on his back
Prado immediately gets his rival down, and if it stays like this we might see the second round for just the second time tonight!
[Link]Francisco Prado vs Nikolay Veretennikov is our next fight
Another first round stoppage incoming?
[Link]Ateba Gautier knocks out Robert Valentin
Yet another first round stoppage! We haven’t been out of the first round since the night’s opener, which was a third round submission! Gautier wins by knockout. Huge!
[Link]ISLAM DULATOV KNOCKS OUT ADAM FUGITT IN ROUND ONE
Huge check left hook drops him and two more shots finish the fight, that’s the perfect UFC debut. What a show thus far!
[Link]JIMMY CRUTE WITH THE FIRST ROUND SUB!
WE ARE FOUR FOR FOUR! JIMMY CRUTE GETS HIS FIRST WIN SINCE 2020 AND IT COMES IN ROUND ONE!
[Link]Jimmy Crute vs Marcin Prachnio our next outing
Light-heavyweight action. Are we about to go four for four on stoppages?
[Link]ANOTHER STOPPAGE
Ryan Spann taps out Brzeski in the first round. Took him down with a quick double leg, almost had an arm triangle and eventually gets the guillotine.
[Link]Ryan Spann vs Lukasz Brzeski our next prelim
No rest for the fight fans tonight, we go straight into our third prelim fight!
[Link]BRUNO FERREIRA TAPS OUT JACKSON MCVEY
The winning streak comes to an end inside the first round! 3:35 is the official time!
[Link]CARLI JUDICE KOs NICOLLE CALIARI IN ROUND TWO
HUGE KNEE FROM JUDICE!
The Louisiana crowd get a knockout win from the home fighter to start the night, a sign of things to come?
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We get underway at flyweight
Nicolle Caliari vs Carli Judice, the latter coming from Louisiana, kicks us off for the night in New Orleans.
[Link]Welcome to the UFC 318 live blog
Good evening and welcome to the live blog for UFC 318 from New Orleans, Louisiana. Dustin Poirier is hanging up the gloves, but not before giving us one final war against his old foe Max Holloway. We’ll have live updates from the show throughout the night for you.
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