UFC 318: Holloway vs. Poirier 3 | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Daniel Cornmeat
- 1 hour ago
- 4 min read
Introduction
UFC 318: Holloway vs. Poirier 3 took place on Saturday, July 19, 2025 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Max Holloway defeated Dustin Poirier via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46) in the BMF title fight, closing the trilogy in Holloway's favour and spoiling Poirier's retirement fight in front of a partisan Louisiana crowd. Poirier was fighting in his home state of Louisiana for the final time; Holloway's majority advantage in the striking exchanges carried four of five rounds on two of the three cards.
The trilogy scoreline: Poirier 2-1 Holloway (KO UFC 236 2019, UD UFC 240 2019, Holloway UD UFC 318 2025). Poirier retired after the loss — his removal from UFC's active roster was confirmed shortly after. The card produced an estimated 750,000 pay-per-view buys driven by the retirement narrative, the New Orleans market, and the generational emotional weight of a third fight between two of the sport's most beloved fighters.
Contents
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, July 19, 2025
📍 Venue: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
👥 Attendance: 18,000 (full capacity)
📺 PPV Buys: ~750,000
🏆 Main Event: Max Holloway (c) vs. Dustin Poirier — UFC BMF Championship / Lightweight (Poirier's retirement fight)
✅ Result: Holloway def. Poirier via Unanimous Decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46)
🥇 Co-Main: Paulo Costa def. Roman Kopylov via Unanimous Decision — Middleweight
The Build-Up
Max Holloway had won the BMF title at UFC 300. Poirier — who had been removed from UFC's roster following what he expected would be his retirement after the UFC 302 Makhachev loss — returned to fight for one final time in his home state of Louisiana. The fight was set at lightweight with the BMF title on the line. Their series: Poirier KO'd Holloway at UFC 236 (2019), Poirier UD'd Holloway at UFC 240 (2019). New Orleans was Poirier's adopted home; the city’s love for him was one of the most authentic fighter-city relationships in UFC history.
Main Event: Holloway vs. Poirier 3
An emotional and entertaining five-round lightweight fight worthy of the trilogy and the occasion. The two veterans traded with the respect their shared history demanded — Holloway using his jab and his volume combinations, Poirier pressing forward with his power boxing and his body work. The New Orleans crowd drove Poirier forward throughout; the partisan arena produced the most emotional atmosphere of any 2025 UFC event outside of International Fight Week.
Poirier had his best moments in round two, battering Holloway in the second half of the round to the delight of the partisan crowd. Holloway steadied, responded with his combination volume, and pulled away in rounds three through five. The final scorecards of 48-47, 49-46, 49-46 gave Holloway a clear majority of the rounds. The trilogy was settled: Poirier 2-1 Holloway overall, Holloway winning their final meeting.
After the result, Poirier was embraced by the New Orleans crowd in one of the most emotional post-fight scenes of 2025. He retired with a 30-9 career record and one of the most beloved legacies in UFC lightweight history.
Co-Main Event: Costa vs. Kopylov
Paulo Costa's unanimous decision win over Roman Kopylov was his first victory in nearly three years and one of the most welcome career rebounds on the 2025 calendar. Costa's combination striking and his forward pressure dominated three competitive middleweight rounds. The win re-established the Brazilian as a legitimate top-ten middleweight and positioned him for a potential title shot conversation.
Full Results
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Max Holloway (c) def. Dustin Poirier — Unanimous Decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46) — BMF Title (Poirier's retirement fight)
Paulo Costa def. Roman Kopylov — Unanimous Decision — Middleweight
Daniel Rodriguez def. Kevin Holland — Unanimous Decision — Welterweight
Patricio “Pitbull” Freire def. Dan Ige — Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Featherweight (Pitbull's first UFC win)
Michael Johnson def. Daniel Zellhuber — Unanimous Decision — Lightweight (upset of the Dana White Contender Series graduate)
Preliminary Card
Brendan Allen def. [Middleweight opponent] — Unanimous Decision — Middleweight
Ryan Spann def. [opponent] — Submission — Light Heavyweight
Brunno Ferreira def. Jackson McVey — Submission (armbar) — R1, 3:35 — Middleweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Fight of the Night: Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier — $50,000 each for an instant trilogy classic in Poirier's New Orleans retirement sendoff.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 318 is remembered primarily as Dustin Poirier's retirement fight — one of the most emotionally charged farewell nights in UFC history. New Orleans embraced its native son with the kind of fervour that had defined his relationship with Louisiana throughout his career. Holloway's win was deserved on the scorecards; it closed the trilogy in the most fitting way possible — a full five rounds between two elite warriors who had given everything to the sport and to each other.
Dustin Poirier retired with a 30-9 career MMA record. His three UFC lightweight title shots (Khabib 2019, Oliveira UFC 269, Makhachev UFC 302) against three different generations of champion, his KO of Conor McGregor at UFC 257, and his BMF title heart make him one of the ten most beloved fighters in UFC history.
FAQ
What is the final Holloway-Poirier trilogy score?
Poirier 2-1 Holloway. Poirier won the first fight via KO (UFC 236, April 2019) and the second via unanimous decision (UFC 240, July 2019). Holloway won the third via unanimous decision (UFC 318, July 2025). The series spanned six years and three eras of the sport — the featherweight era, the BMF era, and the retirement fight era. All three fights were entertaining; the third was the most emotional.
Why was this fight at lightweight rather than featherweight?
Both fighters had moved up to lightweight during their careers. Holloway’s BMF title wins had all been at lightweight; Poirier had been competing primarily at 155 lbs since 2019. The fight was made at lightweight as a BMF title contest — the belt Holloway had held since his stunning knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300.
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