Poirier’s Storied Career Ends With Trilogy Bout

More than thirteen years on from their first meeting, Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway will square off in the main event at UFC 318 to round out a trilogy that has seen the former interim lightweight champion Poirier win each of the first two bouts.

Saturday’s headliner serves as Poirier’s retirement fight – a fitting bookend to the pair’s shared history. Their first meeting, at UFC 143, was Holloway’s UFC debut; and the rematch, at UFC 236, contested the interim lightweight championship.

Despite Poirier’s previous success against Holloway, however, a Hollywood ending isn’t expected at UFC 318. The younger Holloway, holder of the symbolic BMF belt, heads into the trilogy fight as a -140 favourite*.  

Since his previous loss to Poirier in April 2019, Holloway has fallen short in four featherweight championship fights – three against Alexander Volkanovski and most recently against Ilia Topuria – but otherwise has reeled off six wins, highlighted by a legendary last-second knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300. 

Poirier, meanwhile, hasn’t been able to recreate the heights of success that came off the back of consecutive wins against Conor McGregor and enters Saturday as a +110 underdog. The subsequent five fights has seen the division largely pass him by, with losses to Charles Oliveira, Gaethje, and Islam Makhachev. 

With Poirier’s recent struggles against the same gauntlet of lightweights Holloway has largely rolled through, a triumphant conclusion to a thrilling career looks unlikely. But, as he’s proven throughout his illustrious career, Poirier is capable of the unexpected – does The Diamond have one last shining moment in him?

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*Odds as of July 15, 2025.