UFC 318 took place in New Orleans, Louisiana, to honor the future hall of fame inductee Dustin Poirier in his final bout in the Octagon. Max Holloway took on Poirier in their third and final fight to close out the trilogy and bring to a close this chapter in both fighters’ careers. Poirier wanted to fight a legend in his retirement fight and due to the history between the two men and where they are currently in their careers, Poirier wanted Holloway to be his final opponent. Poirier had already defeated Holloway twice, once when they were both young and starting their careers, and again in a neck and neck fight for the interim lightweight championship in 2019.
UFC 318 was a proper send-off and the final close to the legendary story of Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier. The rest of the card while it didn’t have much star power in terms of names, showcased talented fighters with prospects and veterans filling the card. Overall, the card was not filled with highlight KO’s and finishes but did show all different aspects of MMA at the highest level which all MMA fans could appreciate.
Recap of UFC 318 Main Card:
Michael Johnson vs Daniel Zellhuber: Lightweight
In his return to the UFC, Micheal Johnson gets back in the win column with an unanimous decision victory against up and comer Daniel Zellhuber. In a pure striking battle where both landed successfully, the bigger and heavier shots were landed by Johnson. Johnson’s biggest moment was in round two where he knocked Zellhuber down with a big right hand. Johnson worked the body early and used crisp combinations all throughout the fight to secure the victory against the young prospect Zellhuber. Many people counted Johnson out but he proved that he still has what it takes to succeed in the cage. While the future is uncertain for Johnson, who is almost 40 years of age, more fights are sure to be headed his way.
#11 Dan Ige vs Patricio Pitbull: Featherweight
Bellator legend Patricio Pitbull wins in dominant fashion against Dan Ige by unanimous decision. Pitbull, who lost his UFC debut in his previous fight, showcased great takedowns, grappling, and striking. Pitbull stunned Ige in round two and sent Ige retreating and covering up, trying to escape the finish. Ige had a few moments throughout the fight and even landed a knee in the third round that hurt Pitbull. Pitbull stayed poised however and defended well before taking Ige down again for the final time in the fight and securing the victory. Pitbull will now be ranked in the top 15 and is looking to climb the ranks.
# 13 Kevin Holland vs Daniel Rodriguez: Welterweight
Daniel Rodriguez defeats the fan favorite Kevin Holland by decision in a wild and unpredictable fight. The first round was mostly even with the biggest moment being Rodriguez stunning Holland momentarily and wobbling him. The second round started off hot with Rodriguez pushing forward and lighting Holland up with punches and knocking him down multiple times. Holland survived the onslaught and made it to the third round where he shifted the momentum back to his side. He knocked Rodriguez down and landed good clinch strikes and ground and pound before Rodriguez stood back up and took Holland down for the remainder of the round. All the momentum was on Holland’s side after the fight but the score card would ultimately be against him after losing the first two rounds. Rodriguez will be in the top 15 rankings after this fight and will continue his three fight win streak against ranked contenders moving forward.
#14 Roman Kopylov vs #13 Paulo Costa: Middleweight
Paulo Costa returns to his former self with a dominant win over the hungry Roman Kopylov who is still young in his MMA career. In one of his best career performances, Costa’s striking and specifically kicks could not miss. Costa brutalized Kopylov’s body and legs with kicks and stuffed any possible momentum that Kopylov tried to gain. Costa looked the best he has looked in a long time all while being the underdog coming into this fight. This is a big confidence boost for Costa who will look to make another run back to the title shot and break into the top 10 rankings. Kopylov learned how much experience matters and will learn from this fight and grow into an even better fighter moving forward.
Dustin Poirier vs Max Holloway: Lightweight
In Dustin Poirier’s final fight, him and Max Holloway delivered a potential fight of the year candidate. These two all time great fighters gave the MMA world what they hoped for in a back and forth war up until the final second. The whole fight was nerve-racking as both fighters could knock each other out at any moment. In the first two rounds this was especially true, Holloway knocked Dustin down in round one and almost finished him but Dustin survived. Round two started with a bang as Holloway stunned and hurt Poirier again, but after recovering Poirier landed clean against Holloway and almost put his lights out before the bell sounded. This was the tale of the entire fight up until the last moment as Holloway did his patented “Here and Now” point to the center of the octagon in the final ten seconds. Max would end up the winner by decision but there is no better send off for Dustin Poirier than this fight. Dustin is one of the greatest fighters in UFC history with one of the most impressive resumes of all time. A true legend of the sport in every way and he will be remembered forever. Dustin will now end his career with an illustrious 30-10 record and is destined for the hall of fame.
