Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier is the main event of UFC 318, which will take place at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Saturday, July 19.
The fight card features plenty of exciting matchups, but the headliner is especially spicy. It’s the fight for the BMF title, which is currently in Holloway’s possession. “Blessed” won it last year by knocking out Justin Gaethje.
However, we then saw him get the taste of his own medicine when Ilia Topuria beat him by a KO in October. Now, Poirier wants to do the same – knock Holloway out and retire with a belt.
Let’s see if he can pull it off!
Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier Odds
| Moneyline | Odds |
|---|---|
| Max Holloawy | -130 |
| Dustin Poirier | +110 |
When, Where, and How to Watch?
- Place: Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana
- Date: Saturday, July 19, 2025
- Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: PPV
UFC 318 Odds (Slightly) Favoring Holloway
Max Holloway (26-8) is a UFC legend who held the featherweight crown in his possession from 2016 to 2019. He also took a shot at the lightweight title but lost to Dustin Poirier by decision.
That was their second fight, with Poirier winning their first by submission – on Holloway’s UFC debut in 2012.
That fight was done in the first round, but their rematch lasted for the full 25 minutes. It was a real 5-round war that saw “Blessed” land 181 significant strikes and absorb three fewer.
The reason Holloway lost that fight was that Poirier did better wrestling-wise. Still, the fight is a testament to how tough a boxer he is.
In fact, this guy made his name by throwing more strikes than almost anyone in the business and taking punishment like it was nothing.
His granite chin was part of his myth… until October. That’s when Ilia Topuria knocked him out cold – the first KO loss of Holloway’s career.
Dustin Poirier’s Retirement Fight
It’s time to say goodbye to “The Diamond” although we predict that he’ll come out of retirement next year – especially if the UFC 318 headliner goes his way. We just think that he’ll realize that it would be a shame for a man of his talents to end his MMA career at 36.
Sure, he did lose two of his last three fights by a finish, but that happened against elite opponents. Justin Gaethje beat him by KO in the fight for the BMF title. But he then bounced back with a KO win over Benoit Saint Denis.
In his most recent fight, he lost by submission to Islam Makhachev in the fight for the Lightweight title. It was his fourth loss by this method, but this shouldn’t worry him ahead of the 318 fight – Holloway almost never goes for a submission.
But what about the other way around? Could we see Poirier wrap up his career with a jumping guillotine?
Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier Prediction
Our pick for the UFC 318 main event is Dustin Poirier. He’s fighting in his home state of Louisiana, so the crowd is almost certainly going to be on his side. Plus, he’s already shown that he can beat Holloway.
That said, we think he’ll “jump the gilly” and retire with a win by a method that made him loved by MMA fans. It’s his signature move, and knowing Dustin, he’ll go for it.