Max Holloway played spoiler for Dustin Poirier’s retirement fight as he put on an all-time performance to avenge his past losses and win the UFC 318 main event.
It was a true war of attrition as Holloway scored multiple knockdowns before Poirier eventually returned the favor as they left it all in the cage over 25 minutes. The difference really came down to the damage done as Holloway just inflicted more punishment across five rounds to secure the victory in his trilogy with Poirier.
The judges scored the fight 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47 with Holloway retaining the “BMF” title and scoring one of the biggest and most meaningful wins of his career.
“I love you Louisiana, I know I had to be the villain,” Holloway shouted after his win. “I’m so sorry but thank you guys for the hospitality. All I’m going to say, a lot of motherf*ckers coming after this ‘BMF’ belt, come get me. I got some history with the champ so UFC, your move next.
“This ain’t my moment. I’m done talking. This is Dustin’s retirement fight. Give it up for the man.”
From there, it was an outpouring of love and emotion for Poirier as he laid his gloves down in the center of the octagon and soaked in the moment for his retirement fight.
“It’s been overwhelming honestly,” Poirier said about the entire fight week. “I feel appreciated. I feel seen. I’ve never got to step outside of fighting and look at it this way. I’ve always been going through fighting and trying to grind to the next thing and provide for me and the family. I never got to look from third person.
“But this week has been incredible. I feel loved the fans, Louisiana and the company. It’s been incredible. I didn’t know I touched as many people as I did by chasing my dreams. I’m forever grateful. I love you all.”
Poirier retires as one of the most loved and respected fighters in the history of the sport and he went down with one final war against another all-time legend in Holloway.
It didn’t take long for Holloway to set the tone after he unloaded a straight punch that popped Poirier in the mush and sent him crashing to the canvas. Holloway unleashed a flurry on the ground but stayed careful not to punch himself out as he went for the finish.
Poirier recovered well but it was clear that Holloway’s power was going to be a problem now that he’s fully adapted to the lightweight division. Whenever Poirier started to get aggressive, Holloway would counter with a well-timed kick to keep him at a distance.
It wasn’t until the second round when Poirier found some rhythm with a slick left hand that slipped through Holloway’s defense and he also threw a knee up the middle that appeared to land flush on the chin. Undeterred, Holloway pressed forward and threw a blistering three-punch combination that rattled Poirier and sent him backwards towards the cage.
Holloway kept hammering away, nearly finishing Poirier but the former interim lightweight champion kept scrambling to survive. Back on the feet, Poirier connected with a good series of punches of his own and another knee that seemed to wobble Holloway.
Out of nowhere, Poirier surged forward and he scored a knockdown of his own before jumping to a guillotine choke but Holloway escaped just as an absolutely wild round came to a close.
On the restart, Holloway started looking for the body kick and Poirier was firing back with a straight right down the middle. Another combination from Holloway had Poirier backing up after he ate several punches in succession.
Holloway was doing a good job circling away and popping Poirier with a rapid-fire combination. That led to Poirier getting more aggressive as he charged forward with a barrage of shots looking for the knockout.
The volume kept coming from Holloway as he continued to connect with more strikes but Poirier was jumping in the fire and throwing right back at him.
With five minute left in his career, Poirier was going to leave everything in the cage and he was coming after Holloway at every turn. Holloway dedicated himself to the body shot to slow Poirier down as the lightweights continued chipping away at each other.
A body kick from Holloway followed by a pair of stinging right hands had Poirier backing up again. Holloway unloaded with a big left hook and then pointed to the canvas for the final 10 seconds as he and Poirier snapped off another series of punches to bring the fight to a close.
It was a stunning performance from Holloway in his return to the lightweight division and a passing of the torch as Poirier retires.
Holloway now moves forward as a legit threat in the 155-pound division with wins over Poirer and Justin Gaethje, who were both still ranked inside the top 10. There are plenty of options available to him but for now Holloway just gets to soak in the victory after finally get one over on Poirier in their third and final fight.
