Dustin Poirier chose alternative opponent to Max Holloway for UFC retirement fight

Poirier will retire in July, once he has completed his trilogy with Holloway at UFC 318

Dustin Poirier has admitted that Max Holloway was not his choice of opponent for his retirement fight in July, with another name having been on the “Diamond”’s mind.

When Poirier faces Holloway in the UFC 318 main event on 19 July, it will mark their third clash, and the final time that Poirier competes as a mixed martial artist.

The American, 36, is widely regarded as one of the best UFC fighters never to win an undisputed title in the promotion, although Poirier did hold the interim lightweight belt prior to a 2019 defeat by Khabib Nurmagomedov, who retained the regular belt in that contest.

Poirier in fact earned the interim title by outpointing Holloway, who held the featherweight belt at the time, and he previously submitted Holloway in 2012 – in the Hawaiian’s first UFC fight.

In a full-circle moment, their trilogy fight will be Poirier’s final contest, although he initially asked the UFC for a different trilogy bout.

When asked why Poirier chose to face Holloway this summer, he told Full Violence: “I didn’t, I chose [Justin] Gaethje. UFC, they wanted Max for some reason.

“I don’t know, because he had the ‘BMF’ [Baddest Motherf*****] belt. I don’t know, but they were high on it.

“It’s gotta be [a full-circle moment], because I was Max’s first fight in the UFC – his debut fight – and he’s my last fight. It’s just... it’s kinda cool, man.

Dustin Poirier (left) during his second win over Max Holloway (Getty)

“He’s a guy I respect a lot, so it’s an important fight for me. I said ‘legends only’, and Max is definitely that.”

Indeed, Holloway’s BMF title will be on the line at 155lb in Poirier’s home state of Louisiana, after the 33-year-old took the belt from Gaethje in April 2024. Holloway dominated the American before knocking him out with a faceplant finish in the very last second of their bout – an all-time great moment in the eyes of most UFC fans.

In Gaethje’s previous fight, in July 2023, he knocked out Poirier with a head kick to win the vacant BMF title. That result also saw Gaethje, a former interim lightweight champion, avenge a 2018 knockout loss to Poirier.

In Poirier’s most recent fight, last June, he suffered a fifth-round submission loss to Islam Makhachev, as he competed for the lightweight title for the third time, with the result going the same way as his previous two efforts.

Meanwhile, Holloway also came up short in a title fight last time out. “Blessed” suffered a third-round KO loss to Ilia Topuria in October, as the latter retained the featherweight gold.

Since those fights, Makhachev has vacated the 155lb title to chase the welterweight belt, and Topuria has given up the 145lb title to chase the lightweight belt. Makhachev is expected to challenge Jack Della Maddalena later this year, after Topuria faces Charles Oliveira for the vacant 155lb strap on 28 June.

Poirier will enter the UFC 318 main event with a professional record of 30-9 (1 No Contest), having scored 15 KO/TKOs, eight submissions and seven decision wins. Meanwhile, Holloway’s record stands at 26-8 with 12 KO/TKO wins, two submissions and 12 decisions.