Dustin Poirier retires in a lightweight BMF title clash with longtime rival Max Holloway at UFC 318, and the Louisiana-based PPV couldn't be weaker.
UFC 318 might be the weakest PPV of the year; it's on par with some of the lower-quality Fight Nights, if not for the star-studded main event.
While fans can anticipate some BMF violence in the main event, there is little to appreciate in the co-main event and beyond.
Only UFC streaks considered.
Fourteen fighters in the ten announced fights so far are coming off losing streaks. Notably, each fighter in the main and co-main events is on a losing streak. While fans can appreciate Poirier vs. Holloway 3, Marvin Vettori vs. Brendan Allen isn't much desired.
Allen and Vettori each enjoy two-fight skids. The worst offender on the card is Jimmy Crute, who, while entertaining, is on a three-fight slew of losses, five if you count two draws.
70 percent of announced UFC 318 fighters are winless in their last contests, and the average winning streak across all announced fighters is -0.7 (-1 being one loss).
UFC PPV's are normally where the high-stakes fights take place, particularly ranked fights.
UFC 318 doesn't follow the trend.
Of the ten fights announced so far, only four contain ranked talent. Out of these eight ranked fighters, only four are in the top ten, and just two are in the top five.
Narratives are what makes a fight interesting when there isn't some superficial goal on the line. Poirier's retirement is enough, but so is the BMF belt.
UFC 314 had Paddy Pimblett rising to the occasion against Michael Chandler, or Jean Silva looking to wire Bryce Mitchell's mouth shut. What does UFC 318 have?
With ten fights booked for the July 19 PPV, there's still room for two to four more contests. Hopefully, the UFC can pull together some enticing matchups for what should be a dynamite send-off card for one of their grizzled veterans.
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