MMA Knockout

Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier hilariously react to UFC 318 bonus snub

Holloway defeated Poirier by unanimous decision in UFC 318's main event
Zain Bando|
Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier got the short end of the stick Saturday night in New Orleans, Louisiana. Despite Holloway's unanimous decision win against "The Diamond" to put a dent in the three-fight series (the first two being won by Poirier in 2012 and 2019). Holloway took the scorecards 48-47, 49-46, 49-46.

Despite a frenetic pace from both men, which included an epic Holloway knockdown in Round 1, followed by a near-emphatic guillotine choke attempt from Poirier in Round 2, and a much less poetic yet brief exchange in the closing seconds of Round 5, it wasn't enough. Neither man earned the coveted "Fight of the Night" bonus, to the surprise of both.

Holloway And Poirier Get Bad News

Holloway and Poirier got bad new
Jul 19, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, UNITED STATES; Max Holloway (red gloves) fights against Dustin Poirier (blue gloves) during UFC 318 at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

"Bro, how did we not get Fight of the Night?" Holloway asked Poirier backstage.

Poirier appeared stunned and confused himself.

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

"What?" Poirier asked after hearing that Marvin Vettori and Brendan Allen got bonuses for their fight against each other.

From there, both men had a good laugh and told the tale of their trilogy fight.

"We knocked each other down in the same round," Holloway said, followed by a hug and embrace from Poirier.

The victory marked Holloway's first in over a year, as he knocked out Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 to win the "BMF" title before losing to Ilia Topuria at UFC 308 last October at featherweight.

Meanwhile, Poirier finished his MMA career with back-to-back losses, which included a lightweight title submission at the hands of then-champion Islam Makhachev.

Max Holloway fighting Dustin Poirie
Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

It capped a night where all five main card fights went the distance, a stark contrast to a fast and furious preliminary portion that saw the UFC implement several feature pieces chronicling Poirier's career.

Nevertheless, both men will be linked together forever regardless of the trilogy's non-linearity, as Poirier won the overall series 2-1.

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Zain Bando
ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer & columnist for Gameday Media's MMA Knockout, expanding his portfolio as a Staff Writer for Dallas Wings On SI with previous in-network contributions around the echosystem. Outside of covering fights, Bando's background includes Big Ten football and men's basketball with leans toward Illinois and Northwestern with a broader league view for bylines including The Sporting News, FanSided, Men's Journal and others since 2019. Bando can be reached at zainbando99@gmail.com or via his social media accounts @zainbando99.

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