Max Holloway defeated Dustin Poirier in the Instant Classic at UFC 318 in New Orleans, becoming the first fighter to successfully defend his BMF title.
On Poilier’s night, Holloway connected to his right hand and defeated the former interim lightweight title holder, nearly causing a crash stop in the opening round. Poirier survived the early storm, but he was unable to quit many attacks for the rest of the stanza.
Holloway picked up where he left off first, connecting with a three-piece with Poirier on his wobbled leg. Sniffing the blood in the water, “blessed” seemed to hurry to finish things off on the mat, but Poirier survived the onslaught and returned it to his feet.
Once upright, Poirier offered to his own combination that rocked Holloway. “The Diamond” is about to score ground and pound points, but he doesn’t have enough time to make the most of it.
There were two very competitive rounds in the third and fourth, all turned into the fifth. Poilier tried to close the distance, but every time he moved, he met an onslaught of strikes from the former featherweight king.
As expected, Holloway stood on his ground and traded for Poire for the final 10 seconds of the fight, but neither man landed a knockout shot and was unable to send us to the scorecard.
Official Results:Max Holloway def. Dustin Poirier via unanimous decisions (48-47, 49-46, 49-46) to maintain the BMF Championship.