COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – Dustin Poirier received everything he wanted from the UFC for his retirement fight.
It’s now official that former interim UFC lightweight champion Poirier (30-9 MMA, 22-8 UFC) will compete in his final MMA bout when he meets BMF titleholder Max Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) in the UFC 318 main event on July 19 at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans (ESPN+ pay-per-view).
After telling MMA Junkie in August that he was torn on competing one more time following a title-fight loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 in June, Poirier made the decision to do one more, with a vision of what a perfect last dance could look like.
The promotion ticked all the boxes. From giving him the perfect location in his home state of Louisiana, to an opponent that is as decorated as any member of the active UFC roster, and event a BMF belt on the line – it’s a uniquely high-stakes exit for one of the sport’s all-time greats.
“This has been a long time in the works, getting Louisiana on board, getting the UFC to even think about coming back to Louisiana,” Poirier told MMA Junkie. “It’s happening. I’m super excited. There’s nobody else I would rather be standing across from when I lay the gloves down, or when I go into my final fight. Max is a legend. I’ve got so much respect for the guy. He’s done it all right. I was his first fight in the UFC, and he’s going to be my last.”
Poirier first met Holloway in a preliminary-card featherweight bout at UFC 143 in February 2012. Then 23, Poirier spoiled the short-notice octagon debut of a then-20-year-old Holloway with a first-round submission.
The pair would rematch at UFC 236 in April 2019, but the stakes were dramatically different from the first encounter. With then-champion Khabib Nurmagomedov unavailable, Poirier faced Holloway, the featherweight champion and riding a 13-fight winning streak, in an interim title bout.
Poirier and Holloway delivered a Fight of the Year contender, and “The Diamond” took a unanimous decision to snap Holloway’s streak to claim interim gold. He thought their time together was done, but it’s not.
Poirier said he wanted Justin Gaethje for his farewell, or Ilia Topuria, but the UFC threw him a “blindside” with Holloway. He was agreeable, because Holloway fits the bill of a “legend” in the sport, which Poirier wanted as his final opponent.
Nevertheless, this is the reality. Poirier will look to make it 3-0 over Holloway, and take his BMF title in the process. There are many opinions on the actual value of the BMF belt, but Poirier isn’t one to undercut its significance, especially in a moment like this.
“There haven’t been many guys (to fight for it),” Poirier said. “Even to get mentioned or have your name in the hat to be pulled for a BMF fight, you’ve got to be a fan favorite, you’ve got to bring it every time. You have to be in that criteria of fighters cut from that cloth. That never-say-die cloth. Max is that. I am that. It’s amazing. If I can get my hand raised again, retire with the BMF belt – I’m the BMF forever.
“If I can get my hand raised and be the last BMF champion and ride off into the sunset and retire, hey, that’s forever. I don’t think they would ever do it again unless something crazy happened. That would be dope.”
After a legendary career filled with iconic moments, Poirier will make what he claims is a definitive exit from active competition. He will get one more as the catalyst for the UFC’s return to Louisiana for the first time since June 2015, and the significance of it all isn’t lost on him in the slightest.
“This is the dream,” Poirier said. “This is the plan. I’m the one that reached out to the UFC and said I would love to retire at home. And to my surprise, they obliged and said, ‘OK, we’ll do everything we can to make it happen.’ It’s amazing when a company works with you like that and has respect for you enough to try to put things in motion because so many things in their schedule is booked up for like the whole year previously.
“People don’t understand how much goes on behind the scenes. These dates and locations are pre-planned for a long time. For them to scrap something and bring the cage to Louisiana and set it up for me to retire at home. Dude. It’s a dream come true.”
