Max Holloway-Dustin Poirier Trilogy for ‘BMF’ Belt Official at UFC 318 in July
WHO WILL BE THE BADDEST OF THEM ALL???
— UFC (@ufc) April 25, 2025
The hometown kid @DustinPoirier challenges @BlessedMMA for the BMF belt in his final trip to the Octagon!#UFC318 | @GNOSports | Learn More: https://t.co/GUdzvfNyaj pic.twitter.com/fDnILvrVwW
Two of the most beloved Ultimate Fighting Championship fighters will run it back one more time.
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Over the last several years, Holloway has excelled against competition not named Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria. With the former, the Hawaiian lost three times for the undisputed featherweight strap to Volkanovski. Although he tried to get it back in a vacant championship match with Topuria, the Spaniard knocked him out cold for the first time ever.
Poirier first announced the news of this match, one that for now is serving also as his retirement bout, on the Pat McAfee Show on Friday. The promotion promptly formalized the announcement shortly thereafter. The Louisiana native has alternated wins and losses in his last six walks to the cage, with triumphs over Conor McGregor, Michael Chandler and Benoit St. Denis opposite stoppages to Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje and Islam Makhachev.
The two first tangled in Holloway’s UFC debut at UFC 143 in 2012. The youngster fell victim to a triangle armbar from the more-experienced Poirier. Seven years and a weight class later—the first fight took place at 145 pounds, while the second and this upcoming bout are at lightweight—the two ran it back. This time, Holloway reached the final horn, losing a nailbiter on the scorecards having actually landed more frequently than Poirier in their 25-minute battle. Holloway claimed the “BMF” belt against Gaethje in April 2024, and even though he lost to Topuria, he will still have it on the line against Poirier.
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