Max Holloway out to spoil Dustin Poirier's last dance

UFC 318 is headlined by a lightweight trilogy bout with the "BMF" title on the line. Former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier will make the walk to the octagon for the final time at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on June 19 against former featherweight champion Max Holloway. 

The trilogy bout comes 13 years after the two met for the first time in a featherweight match at UFC 143 in February 2012. Poirier handed Holloway his first career loss that night in Las Vegas. Their paths would cross again in 2019 for the interim lightweight championship. Poirier won the fight via unanimous decision to pick up the interim title and a second victory over Holloway. 

On Saturday, the two will fight for a third time and Holloway plans to end the trilogy with a win and the "BMF" belt still around his waist.  

"I'm focused on going out there and getting my hands raised," Holloway told MMAJunkie. "He's a diamond. He's a beast. He's an animal. He's a legend. I know it's his last dance, but I've got to play the spoiler here. I need this one." 

The trilogy with Poirier will be the second time in Holloway's career that he's fought in a three-fight series. After losing the 145-pound championship to Alexander Volkanovski in 2019, Holloway received an immediate rematch and lost via split decision. The two fought for a third time in 2022 with Volkanovksi defeating the Hawaiian a third time. "'Blessed" doesn't want to be known for losing all three fights in both trilogies he fought in.  

"It's just another fight. I'm f**king 0-3 in one trilogy. I'm not trying to be 0-3 in two trilogies," Holloway said. "That's the main thing going through my mind right now. The BMF title is cool and everything, and making history is great. But the main history I ain't trying make is being a man who fought two different trilogies and went 0-3."