BMF champion Holloway put his title on the line against Poirier in the main event at Smoothie King Center in a fight between two of the sport’s biggest fan favourites.
And, after the action went back and forth over the full five-round duration, it was Holloway who emerged victorious, with “Blessed” taking the victory with scores of 48-47, 49-46, 49-46.
Holloway didn’t want to eat into Poirier’s post-fight interview time, so he kept it short and sweet on the microphone after his victory.
“Hey, I love you, Louisiana. I know I had to be the villain, I’m so sorry, but thank you guys for the hospitality,” he said.
“All I’m gonna say is a lot of motherf*****s are coming after this BMF belt. Come get me. And I got some history with the champ, so UFC, your move next, baby.
“This ain’t my moment. I’m done talking. This is Dustin’s retirement fight. Give it up for the man!”
The attention then turned to the retiring Poirier, who shared his immediate thoughts after the final fight of his career.
“I thought he was going to be in here cracking a little bit harder, which he was, man,” he told Daniel Cormier after the fight.
“This guy’s tough to deal with when he’s in front of you. He’s slick, he’s crafty, he’s fast. He’s the a champ. You know, I got nothing but respect for Max man. He’s one of the good guys.
“Man, it’s been overwhelming. Honestly, 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 to provide for me, the family. I never got to look at it from third person.
“But this week has been incredible, man. I feel loved by the by the fans, by Louisiana and the company. It’s been incredible. I didn’t know I touched as many people as I did, just by chasing my dreams. I’m forever grateful, man, I just I love you all. I’m a kid living this dream out here, man, throwing punches, throwing knees. I’m chasing dreams still. Man, it’s beautiful.
The UFC then played a farewell montage on the big screen before an emotional Poirier shared his final thoughts before laying down his gloves and exiting the Octagon for the last time.
“I got to live this life and go on this journey, such a great experience, man,” he said.
“I want to thank Dana (White), the UFC, for giving a kid a platform to make something of his life and use this as a vehicle to get my family into a safe place.
“I’m forever in debt to the fans, the company, and mixed martial arts. It has taught me everything I know, and I’m just thankful I got to walk this walk.”
Elsewhere on a main card that saw every one of the five featured fights go to the judges, Paulo Costa defeated Roman Kopylov, while Daniel Rodriguez edged Kevin Holland.
Patricio Pitbull claimed his first UFC victory, with the former Bellator champion defeating Dan Ige 29-28, 29-28, 29-28, and lightweight veteran Michael Johnson halted the momentum of Mexican star Daniel Zellhuber as he claimed victory with 29-28s across the board.
UFC 318: Official results
MAIN CARD
- Max Holloway def. Dustin Poirier via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46) – for BMF title
- Paulo Costa def. Roman Kopylov via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 39-28)
- Daniel Rodriguez def. Kevin Holland via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Patricio Pitbull def. Dan Ige via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Michael Johnson def. Daniel Zellhuber via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Vinicius Oliveira def. Kyler Phillips via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Brendan Allen def. Marvin Vettori via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Nikolay Veretennikov def. Francisco Prado via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Ateba Gautier def. Robert Valentin via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:10
EARLY PRELIMS
- Islam Dulatov def. Adam Fugitt via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 4:06
- Jimmy Crute def. Marcin Prachnio via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 4:41
- Ryan Spann def. Lukasz Brzeski via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 2:37
- Brunno Ferreira def. Jackson McVey via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 3:35
- Carli Judice def. Nicolle Caliari via TKO (knee) – Round 3, 1:30
