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Fight By Fight Preview | UFC 318: Holloway vs Poirier 3
Detailing The Action About To Hit The Octagon In New Orleans On Saturday Night
By E. Spencer Kyte
Back in “The Big Easy” for the first time in a decade, UFC 318 touches down at Smoothie King Center on Saturday for a pay-per-view event that also serves as a send-off for one of Louisiana’s own.
Headlined by a BMF title fight and third pairing between Max Holloway and the pride of Lafayette, Dustin Poirier, the familiar foes will run things back for a third time, with Holloway looking to successfully defend his title and gain a win over the dangerous veteran that has bettered him twice in the past, while “The Diamond” seeks to close things out with a third victory over the Hawaiian standout.
Supported by a bushel of crucial divisional contest and intriguing matchups up and down the undercard, this weekend’s return to pay-per-view should provide a ton of excitement as we start working into the thick of the summer schedule.
BMF Title Main Event: Max Holloway vs Dustin Poirier
There is plenty at stake as Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier clash for a third time in the UFC 318 main event, with the BMF title hanging in the balance.
Holloway claimed the title with an outstanding performance and emphatic finish of Justin Gaethje last year at UFC 300. He moved back down to featherweight following that win with designs on ascending to the throne once again, only to be felled by Ilia Topuria.
Poirier competes in his home state for the first time since that June 2015 fight card, where he quickly stopped Yancy Medeiros. Following his second-round victory over Benoit Saint Denis last March, the 36-year-old came up short in his bid to wrest the lightweight title away from Islam Makhachev at UFC 302.
These two are intimately familiar with one another, having fought twice in the past. While their first meeting came early in their careers and on short notice, they got reacquainted in an interim lightweight title bout back at UFC 236, with Poirier claiming a unanimous decision win. This is the final walk to the Octagon for the beloved veteran competitor, and Holloway is the ideal opponent for the moment, as he looks to defend his title and spoil Poirier’s swan song while gaining a measure of revenge.
No matter how this one shakes out, it promises to be exhilarating, and a fitting way for one of the most all-action fighters in UFC history to ride off into the sunset
Additional Main Card Matchups
Paulo Costa vs Roman Kopylov
Originally scheduled for International Fight Week, Paulo Costa and Roman Kopylov finally share the Octagon in Saturday’s co-main event.
The 34-year-old Costa competes for the first time since UFC 302 where he landed on the wrong side of the scorecards against Sean Strickland. After opening his career with 13 consecutive victories to earn a championship opportunity, the Brazilian has now dropped four of his last five, leaving him in dire need of a strong effort this weekend in New Orleans.
Kopylov enters from the opposite end of things than his adversary, having earned back-to-back wins and victories in six of his last seven outings. The ascending Russian gutted out a split decision win over Cesar Almeida at UFC 302 following his loss to “Fluffy” Hernandez and followed it up earlier this year with a late-fight finish of Chris Curtis.
The middleweight rankings are in a state of flux at the moment and could see more change this weekend depending on results. Costa has maintained his residency in the exclusive community throughout his struggles, while Kopylov will be trying to earn a number next to his name for the first time by handing him another defeat.
Kevin Holland vs Daniel Rodriguez
Perpetually active welterweights cross paths in Louisiana as Kevin Holland and Daniel Rodriguez share the Octagon on Saturday night.
Holland makes his fourth appearance of the year, aiming to collect his third victory since dropping back down to the 170-pound ranks. After out-hustling Gunnar Nelson in London, the 32-year-old “Trailblazer” dominated Vicente Luque at UFC 316, piecing him up before choking him out to earn his 15th victory under the UFC banner.
Rodriguez halted a three-fight slide with a split decision win over Alex Morono last October to get himself back in the win column. Earlier this year, the 38-year-old Los Angeleno collected a second consecutive win, garnering a third-round stoppage in over Santiago Ponzinibbio in Des Moines.
These two have combined to make 25 appearances over the last five years, spending the majority of that time on the fringes of the Top 15. Holland has pushed his way into the rankings with his recent successes, and Rodriguez aims to claim his spot by collecting a third straight win this weekend.
Dan Ige vs Patricio Pitbull
Ultra-game featherweight staple Dan Ige lines up opposite Patricio Pitbull in an intriguing matchup between UFC 314 competitors.
Ige defended his place in the rankings back in April, registering a third-round stoppage win over Sean Woodson, halting the St. Louis native’s extended run of success. The Las Vegas-based Hawaiian is as well-prepared and dialed in as anyone in the division, ready to battle hard against anyone and everyone, even when he only gets four hours’ notice.
Following a lengthy run as the top name on the Bellator roster, Pitbull made his UFC debut in the spring, dropping a unanimous decision to former interim champ Yair Rodriguez in a bout where he looked a little hesitant to throw. He touches down in Vegas here in an interesting position, having dropped three of his last four and facing questions about his place in the hierarchy and how much gas he’s got left in the tank.
Given their histories and how they typically fight, this should be a barnburner from Jump Street, as Ige once again looks to affirm his standing as one of the toughest outs in the 145-pound ranks, while his Brazilian foe aims to avoid an 0-2 start to his UFC career.
Michael Johnson vs Daniel Zellhuber
Entertaining lightweights Michael Johnson and Daniel Zellhuber kick off Saturday’s main card.
Johnson touches down in New Orleans in the midst of a mini renaissance, having earned consecutive wins for the first time in a number of years, most recently collecting a second-round knockout win over Ottman Azaitar at the end of last year. Zellhuber landed on the wrong side of a split decision verdict in his epic UFC 306 clash with Esteban Ribovics, which halted his three-fight winning streak.
Preliminary Card Pairings
Kyler Phillips vs Vinicius Oliveira
It’s a meeting of ranked bantamweights as Kyler Phillips faces off with Vinicius Oliveira.
Phillips’ UFC career has played out in a pattern thus far, with the MMA Lab representative earning three straight wins before dropping a decision in consecutive four-fight packets. Oliveira followed up his strong rookie campaign in 2024 with a unanimous decision win over Said Nurmagomedov in February, extending his overall winning streak to five.
Marvin Vettori vs Brendan Allen
Rankings mainstays in the middleweight division Marvin Vettori and Brendan Allen clash on Saturday’s UFC 318 prelims.
A former title challenger, the 31-year-old Vettori has slipped to No. 10 in the divisional rankings after dropping back-to-back fights and three of his last four. Allen returns to his home state also nursing a two-fight skid, having most recently dropped a decision to the previously mentioned Hernandez in a competitive February clash in Seattle.
Francisco Prado vs Nikolay Veretennikov
Welterweights looking to right the ship cross paths here as Francisco Prado and Nikolay Veretennikov face off in the bayou.
The 23-year-old Argentinian Prado went 1-2 in three lightweight starts before venturing up to welterweight for the first time in his most recent outing, dropping a decision to Jake Matthews. Veretennikov has landed on the wrong side of things in each of his first two appearances, most recently getting stopped by Austin Vanderford in February.
Ateba Gautier vs Robert Valentin
Middleweight prospects square off as Ateba Gautier faces Robert Valentin.
A member of the Dana White’s Contender Series Class of ’24, Gautier impressed in his contract-winning turn last summer, showcasing nasty power and tremendous upside in finishing Yura Kaito. The Manchester-based prospect raised the bar in his promotional debut in March, earning a Performance of the Night bonus for his first-round stoppage win over Jose Media.
Valentin advanced to the finals of the middleweight tournament on Season 32 of The Ultimate Fighter, losing to Ryan Loder. He made his post-TUF debut in April, dropping a split decision to Torrez Finney, sending him into this one with a point to prove.
Will Gautier earn another finish and victory, or can Valentin rebound and get things moving in the right direction?
Adam Fugitt vs Islam Dulatov
The first of Saturday’s three welterweight clashes pits Adam Fugitt against recent Dana White’s Contender Series grad Islam Dulatov.
Fugitt picked up his second UFC victory last time out, landing on the happy side of a split decision verdict in a clash with Josh Quinlan just over a year ago. The 26-year-old Dulatov scored a vicious first-round knockout win to claim his place on the roster, finishing Vanilton Antunes with a nasty elbow along the fence to advance to 11-1.
Jimmy Crute vs Marcin Prachnio
After returning to action in February, Jimmy Crute looks to end a lengthy run without a victory as he steps in opposite Polish veteran Marcin Prachnio.
Still just 29 years old, Crute ended an 18-month sabbatical in February, battling Rodolfo Bellato to a draw, leaving him 0-3-2 over his last five outings. Prachnio competes for the first time in nearly a year, venturing to New Orleans in hopes of maintaining his pattern of alternating wins and losses after falling to Modestas Bukauskas last time out.
Ryan Spann vs Lukasz Brzekski
Ryan Spann and Lukasz Brzeski square off in a meeting of Dana White’s Contender Series alums in need of a win.
Fortis MMA’s Spann made his UFC heavyweight debut in March, getting stopped by Waldo Cortes Acosta to fall to 1-4 over his last five. Brzeski has also managed just one win over his last five, sandwiching a decision nod over Valter Walker between tandem setbacks, arriving here off consecutive first-round stoppage losses.
Brunno Ferreira vs Jackson McVey
Brazilian finisher Brunno Ferreira welcomes Jackson McVey to the Octagon for this first time in what should be a combustible clash at 185 pounds.
Ferreira has gone 4-2 through his first six UFC starts, maintaining his 100 percent finishing rate, having most recently scored a second-round submission win over Armen Petrosyan. McVey was tabbed to debut on short notice at UFC 317, only for his fight to fall through, leaving the door open for him to replace Ikram Aliskerov here instead.
Carli Judice vs Nicolle Caliari
Saturday’s action gets underway in the flyweight division, with Carli Judice taking on fellow DWCS alum Nicolle Caliari.
Judice scored one of the bigger upsets and most emphatic knockouts of the year in her 2025 debut, flooring Yuneisy Duben back in March to register her first UFC win. Caliari punched her ticket to the big stage last September, but dropped a split decision to Ernesta Kareckaite in January, which snapped a four-fight winning streak.
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