Third time’s the charm, but for whom? When we get to UFC 318, we will have Dustin Poirier face Max Holloway for the third time in their careers. One is a former featherweight champion, while the other only achieved holding the lightweight interim belt. This time around, no title is on the line, but whoever wins will hold the trivial BMF belt when it’s all said and done.
Date & Location of UFC 318
We’re two weeks removed from UFC 318, as the event is scheduled for July 19th. The home for this event is the Smoothie King Centre in New Orleans. In the moist Louisiana, Holloway and Poirier will face off for one last time, as this is the swan’s song for Dustin who already stated that this will be his last bout in UFC and in his MMA career. If you want to pay your respects, and to push the tides of this duel in one or the other direction, do it by placing a bet at Bety crypto casino on this bout, as they provide some of the best MMA odds available, and there’s still time to watch this match before the lines start to move. Before you put your wager in, read a bit about the top two fighters at the event, and our predictions for their duel.
Max Holloway
Holloway is a UFC legend in his own right. After becoming the featherweight champion back in 2016, he went on to defend his title four times. He eventually fell in the hands of Alexander Volkanovski, but not before making a name for himself in the UFC. If we look at his past, it is interesting to see that Max has made his UFC debut against Dustin Poirier. What’s even more interesting is that Dustin has given Max his only defeat by submission in 36 bouts. The two met once again in the lightweight division, and Poirier won that bout via unanimous decision. Max is defending his BMF belt in this bout after he’s won it in one of the most brutal finishes we’ve seen in UFCs history after knocking out Justin Gaethje in the last seconds of their duel. A win by Max Holloway on UFC 31 pays with -130 odds.
Dustin Poirier
Poirier has received more than a decent opponent for his farewell duel, but he’s no slouch either. His career started in 2011, and since then he’s competed in two divisions. During his prime, Poirier stood his ground against many top fighters including Justin Gaethje, Conor McGregor, Eddie Alvarez, Dan Hooker and Michael Chandler. While managing to get a hold of the interim title, he never managed to cross the border and get the title as his three challenges went unsuccessful. Dubbed as his retirement fight, the bout vs. Holloway should be a spectacle for a fighter that is entering UFC 318 with an 30-9 MMA record. If you think he can get out with a bang, do not forget to back Poirier with a wager, if you find time off from playing Bety casino games, which are known to be some of the best on the market, at least if you ask us. A win on Poirier pays with +110 odds.
Max Holloway vs Dustin Poirier
As we said, these two men have crossed paths on two occasions before this one. The first bout shouldn’t really be taken into the equation, as it happened when these two men were just kids in the UFC. For one, Max was only 21, and it was his welcoming to the brutal world of UFC. The second one was also quite peculiar. It was Max’s first bout in a lightweight division. Also, he accepted the challenge on a short notice. While both of these bouts were in the far past, his recent performances have been quite good, and in his outstanding win against Gaethje, Holloway showed that he still has a future in this division.
Poirier has been going about his retirement for a few years now, and after a few setbacks, defeats, and injuries, he finally appears to be ready to retire. Sources close to the fighter and the UFC claim that this could be his last fight regardless of the outcome. While never being able to attain the undisputed lightweight title, there is no doubt in our minds that Dustin is one of the finest fighters to ever grace the division. The one title that he could get if he defeats Max is the BMF belt, which is more than a fine consolation prize.
These two men will go out when the lights are the brightest at the UFC 318 at Smoothie King Centre in New Orleans, Louisiana on July 19th, 2025. At the moment the odds favour Holloway to win this one, but the difference in odds is rather small. Our prediction for this bout is Max Holloway’s win, via knockout, in the second round. Holloway has more motive to win this one, as he still plans on having a future in the division, and if success allows it, another title challenge. Poirier is contemplating retirement a tad bit too much for a professional fighter. If the fire is no longer in him, we can’t see him winning this bout. Yes, he would want to wrap up his career with a win, but if he wasn’t losing as much lately he wouldn’t be considering retirement at all.
The eyes of the world will be on these two at UFC 318, but if you want to pay attention to other bouts there will be some interesting fights such as Marvin Vettori vs. Brendan Allen, Neil Magny vs. Gunnar Nelson, Adam Fugitt vs. Islam Dulatov, Ikram Aliskerov vs. Brunno Ferreira, Jimmy Crute vs. Marcin Prachnio, Carli Judice vs. Nicolle Caliari, and Kyler Phillips vs. Vinicius Oliveira. While not one of the top events recently in the UFC, 318 still has plenty to offer and to bet on.