UFC 318 Roundtable: Is the author of Dustin Poirier the most pleasant MMA ending ever?

Dustin PoilierIt’s time to say goodbye.

Farewell is a very sweet sadness. Especially when we’re talking about one of the most exciting, most skilled and most beloved fighter jets in MMA history. When the UFC is willing to build shows around them without titles on the line, you know that fighters are special.

surely, UFC 318 The main event technically involves the belt. Poeier is to get a second chance to become the “BMF” champion when he takes on the role. Max Hollowaybut let’s be real. This is to honor Poirier as he will take a walk to the Octagon for the last time.

He couldn’t have a more suitable dance partner as he faced Holloway, a fellow legend whose career had run almost in parallel. They first met in 2012 and then again in 2019, but now as elder politicians, they are preparing to send out Poirier in style.

MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin, Alexander K. Lee and Jedmesh enjoy a pay-per-view in New Orleans this Saturday, ponder what these two warrior trilogy means, and even more about other stories to watch the UFC’s July pay-per-view.

1. What do Holloway and Poilier 3 mean to their respective heritage?

Martin: As much as this event is built around Dustin Poilier’s retirement, he’s not finished yet, so for Max Holloway the fight itself means even more. After delivering one of the biggest finishes in MMA history with Justingeche’s knockout at the UFC 300, Holloway could already be a 155-pound title contender. Instead, he returned to featherweight and lost to Ilia Topria. He can quickly return to the top of the lightweight division and catapult with the highlighted victory.

On top of that, Holloway is currently 0-2 against Poirier, and there’s no way he wants to finish this trilogy with his third straight loss.

For Poirier, fighters rarely end his career from Marquee’s victory. And honestly, those happy moments can be nearly counted with one hand. However, Poirier has solidified as the greatest fan favorite of all time, regardless of the outcome of this battle. He certainly wants to retire victory rather than loss, but the crowds of New Orleans, all the fans who see the world, anyone who knows anything about MMA, will give him flowers no matter what happens at UFC 318.

Lee: Holloway is essentially brought in to do the job (it’s still decided whether the job is sending Poirier out on his shield or giving Poirier another highlight victory), but this is a bizarrely meaningful match to him in terms of pure numbers.

If he loses on Saturday, he’ll be 0-3 against two of his biggest rivals, Poirier and Alexander Volkanovsky. That’s strange, isn’t it? There is no other great fighter who experienced that level of futileness when stepping into the cage with the most famous opposition. That’s something you think about whenever you talk about Holloway’s legacy. So that’s it.

On the flip side, Poirier can add another incredible victory to one of the best resumes that don’t include an indisputable title. He finishes Holloway in the round in the first fight, earning the best classic of all time in a rematch, and if he defeats Holloway in another thriller, he can ride those good vibes for the rest of the day. I hope it’s not tied like the Katie Taylor-Amanda Serrano 3.

mesh: It’s not something.

Saturday’s main event is incredible, perhaps a front runner in the fight without punch thrown out, but surprisingly meaningless.

My estimate is that if Holloway retires tomorrow, he is one of the best 20 fighters of all time, and you can have a stronger argument that he is higher than that. Similarly, regardless of what happens on Saturday, Poirier will fall as one of the greatest fighters of all time and, more importantly, one of the most beloved ones.

Poilier has already brought two wins over Holloway, two wins over Conor McGregor, and other major wins. Plus, he is one of the few fighters and has won this year’s honors many times. Although he has never won an uncontroversial title, Poirier is the unquestionable first Barot Hall of Fame inducted by whatever happens on Saturday. He has the opportunity to do what a very few people in this sport do and go out to win.

For Holloway, his career doesn’t seem to be coming to an end. Holloway definitely doesn’t seem to be at the peak of his power, but he’s still pretty young and the best fighters of all time tend to perform great for years after their prime. Beating Poirier would be a nice addition feather in his cap, but it doesn’t actually move the needle and the loss makes little difference.

The meaning of this fight is entirely a fan experience, and he enjoys his final walk from one of the greatest action fighters of all time. It’s a completely self-contained battle and honestly, it’s perfect.

2. Who needs to win more? Paulo Costa or Patricio Pitbull?

Photo: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

mesh: It’s not close with the Patricio Pitbull.

Everyone knew when Pitbull came to the UFC that he was past his prime, but there was still hope that for him, for the past, he would cast a spell on the title fight. After all, Michael Chandler wasn’t good and he was away from two punches after winning the belt. Why couldn’t you make a pit bull? Unfortunately, if Pitbull can’t beat Dan Ige, he definitely isn’t going to do it.

On the other hand, does anyone really care about Paulo Costa? It feels like he’s not fighting hard in his life. He had a moment near the top, but Costa is another classic instance of a fighter who was briefly hot and eventually burnt out.

Martin: There’s no doubt that Pitbull will desperately need victory here. Suddenly, he becomes very irrelevant as a 38-year-old veteran with hourglass escaping the sand. The Pitbull was undoubtedly the biggest Bellator fighter in history, and he made a lot of noise to be released from the PFL so he could eventually sign in the UFC.

Sadly, his first performance was easy to forget completely. He looked like a deer in his headlights in his battle with Yair Rodriguez. If Pitbull can’t offer a big win against Ige’s extremely dangerous but Fringe’s top 15 fighters on Saturday, his future prospects are barely ineffective. Chandler has since won some bounty by putting waste on Dan Hooker on his debut, even if he’s only 1-5.

Pitbull needs not only victory, but must show that he is hanging from elite featherweight in the UFC.

Lee: Costa doesn’t just need a victory, it also needs a knockout.

Every time people develop the supposed punch power of Costa, I chottle. The man has not won the battle by ko/tko 7 years. Obviously, it has a lot to do with inactivity, but he has been in the sixth round since his recent finish, and apart from a few bright spots, he has not been able to defeat anyone. I understand that he is still popular, but being the master of memes can take you ever.

Costa, give fans that the carrier in your cage is not completely busted to become B-side in an influencer boxing match away from two more disappointing performances from the campaign.

3. Outside of the main event, what is the most “BMF” battle on the card?

Photo: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Lee: Ah, my goodness, Kylar Phillips vs Vinicius Oliveira, why are you flying under the radar?

It’s easy to forget that when he began his UFC career, he quickly stood out as one of the most exciting fighters in the deep bantamweight division, as he began his UFC career. At 30, “The Matrix” still runs to the title shot and has plenty of time to steal Oliveira’s glow.

Also, let’s admit that, the entire “BMF” theme in UFC 318 is pretty unstable and I believe that the matchmaker pushed to make this fight happen on this card. Because if Phillips and Oliveira bring to the fullest of their potential, even Holloway and Poirier would find themselves in acts that are difficult to follow.

mesh: Either way, it’s obviously Kevin Holland vs Daniel Rodriguez.

People think that “BMF” is plundering “Baddest Mother F*Cker”, but they’re wrong. In fact, it stands for “Mpopular fjourneyman” belt. B, M, and F are all silent. Look at Nate Diaz to see who created the belt in the first place, to promote the fight against Jorge Masvidal. I’ve been around this sport for a long time, and while both men were solid fighters around their careers, Diaz and Masvidal aren’t in the top 100 of the greatest ever. Probably not in the top 500. They were good fighters whose popularity was far superior to their capabilities.

And it feels perfectly aligned for Kevin Holland. “Big Mouth” is extremely popular, but as it is part of bouncing in its weight class, it has never put together a lasting excellence. On his best days he can be a problem for anyone, but he also tends to lose to less talented fighters with solid game plans (and perhaps some wrestling). And while Rodriguez is certainly not as popular as the fighter planes mentioned above, he still feels like he’s on the same boat. Good, but not great, but perhaps he is better respected than he actually is.

Martin: I’m going to stand on the island with this pick, but I’m saying Brendan Allen vs. Marvin Bettori. It really is just how much these two hate each other, after all. I have very bad blood.

In the past, we have seen that a complete da between fighters can still emit a real foul smell. Not farther than Muhammad Mokayev vs Manel Cape, but Allen and Betri are both out of successive losses, and neither wants to give another inch when it comes to a potential third consecutive defeat. This could lead to a staring contest, but it could force either or both of them to pay attention to the wind and go to the finish to ensure work safety. And when it’s all over, the fireworks may not stop at the final horn, as this is likely not to end with a handshake.