UFC 318: Holloway vs. Poirier 3 Fight Card, Predictions, & Odds

Max Holloway will defend his BMF title against Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 318 on July 19 inside Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. This will be the third meeting between the two fighters, after Poirier won the first two bouts.

Furthermore, it will be Poirier’s retirement fight after 14 years in the UFC. Although it’s his last pro fight, Poirier heads into the match as the betting underdog with +110 UFC odds, while the defending BMF champion is going to be the -130 betting favorite.

UFC 318: Holloway vs. Poirier 3 Odds

• Max Holloway: -130
• Dustin Poirier: +110

UFC 318: Holloway vs. Poirier: Prediction

I predict that this match will be a submission victory for Poirier because I believe that he’ll utilize his grappling skills against Holloway, despite an expected war in the striking department. This is something that Poirier did during his first match against Holloway, and scored a first-round submission win.

During their rematch, Holloway and Poirier went toe-to-toe with their boxing skills. But I don’t think that Poirier would want to engage Holloway in the stand-up game since he’s still very much in his prime at 33 years old, while he’s already 36.

Poirier knows that Holloway is also a savage striker with a variety of arsenal in his punches and kicks, which is why he would be very cautious in exchanging with him on the feet. Add the fact that Holloway has an underrated power that slept Justin Gaethje at UFC 300.

Since this is Poirier’s swan song, I think that he’ll do everything to secure the victory, go out on top, and send his home fans in Louisiana into a frenzy with a dub in front of them. The guillotine choke, which was his favorite submission technique, would be the perfect storybook ending to his career if he pulls it off.

Max Holloway’s Recent Fight Results

Holloway is a 13-year UFC veteran who climbed his way to the top of the featherweight division. He became the undisputed champion in June 2017 when he defeated José Aldo and reigned until November 2019, before Alexander Volkanovski dethroned him.

He tried to reclaim the featherweight gold three times against Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria, but was defeated during those attempts. Holloway’s most memorable victory was against Gaethje at UFC 300, where he scored a last-second knockout in the fifth and final round to capture the BMF title.

Dustin Poirier’s Recent Fight Results

Poirier was also a former featherweight standout who moved up in the lightweight division and became a top contender and a household name for several years. He became the division’s interim titleholder in 2016 when he defeated Holloway in their first meeting.

However, “The Diamond” never became an undisputed titleholder because Khabib Nurmagomedov, Charles Oliveira, and Islam Makhachev defeated him in championship fights. This upcoming match with Holloway is his final attempt to capture a title and go out as the BMF champion.

UFC 318: Holloway vs. Poirier 3: Tale of the Tape

UFC 318: Holloway vs. Poirier Fight Card

• Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier, BMF title fight
• Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov, middleweight fight
• Kevin Holland vs. Daniel Rodriguez, welterweight fight
• Dan Ige vs. Patricio Pitbull, featherweight fight
• Michael Johnson vs. Daniel Zellhuber, lightweight fight
• Kyler Philips vs. Vinicius Oliveira, bantamweight fight
• Marvin Vettori vs. Brendan Allen, middleweight fight
• Francisco Prado vs. Nikolay Veretennikov, welterweight fight
• Ateba Gauter vs. Robert Valentin, middleweight fight
• Adam Fugitt vs. Islam Dulatov, welterweight fight
• Jimmy Crute vs. Marcin Pranchnio, light heavyweight fight
• Ryan Spann vs. Lukasz Brzeski, heavyweight fight
• Brunno Ferreira vs. Jackson McVey, middleweight fight
• Carli Judice vs. Nicolle Caliari, women’s flyweight fight