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Dustin Poirier bids farewell to MMA after epic UFC 318 war with Max Holloway

Poirier closed out his UFC career with an incredible third fight against Holloway.
Drew Beaupre|
Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

One of the most impressive careers in MMA history came to an end on Saturday night at UFC 318.

Following his third failed bid to claim the undisputed lightweight title against Islam Makhachev, Dustin Poirier contemplated retirement before he began campaigning for one last fight in his home state of Louisiana.

The UFC obliged Poirier's request by booking UFC 318 for the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, and for his headlining retirement fight "The Diamond" was given a third matchup with "BMF" titleholder Max Holloway.

Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier face off before UFC 318.
Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier face off before UFC 318. | (Zuffa LLC)

Max Holloway Spoils Dustin Poirier's Retirement Party

Poirier first bested Holloway in 2012 when the two men were still featherweights before he also gave "Blessed" a rude welcome to lightweight at UFC 236, where Poirier claimed the interim UFC lightweight belt via unanimous decision.

READ MORE: UFC 318: Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier 3 free live stream results & highlights

UFC 318 kicked off with a run of six-straight finishes before the next seven fights went the distance, and all four main card fights leading up to the main event shockingly saw the pre-fight underdog get their hand raised.

Holloway took a kick-heavy approach to open the trilogy bout before he suddenly dropped Poirier after less than two minutes of action, but "The Diamond" recovered and settled in during the second half of the round.

Poirier looked to be in control during the first few minutes of the second frame before getting rocked. The 36-year-old ended up on his back for an extended period, but during the final minute he dropped Holloway and jumped for a guillotine in the waning seconds.

Both men managed to remain on their feet during a closely-contested third frame, and the championship rounds opened with another strong few minutes from Poirier before Holloway appeared to steal back some momentum heading into the final round.

READ MORE: Paulo Costa calls out Khamzat Chimaev after vintage performance at UFC 318

The final five minutes of Poirier's fighting career fittingly saw the two men exchange some massive shots and throw down in the center of the cage once the 10-second clapper sounded, and it was Holloway who ultimately got his hand raised via unanimous decision after an epic war.

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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