UFC 318: Poirier retires, Holloway impresses and the prelims are ... must-see?

From a spectacular debut to the bittersweet departure of a instrumentality favorite, UFC 318 was a roller coaster of emotions.

In the main event, Max Holloway successfully defended his BMF championship, beating Dustin Poirier. The last bout of their vocation trilogy brought an extremity to a bid that started 13 years ago. Leading up to the event, Poirier announced that helium would beryllium retiring pursuing the fight.

In the co-main event, erstwhile middleweight rubric challenger Paulo Costa snapped a two-fight skid, beating Roman Kopylov by unanimous decision. Also connected the card, Islam Dulatov made a connection successful his UFC debut, knocking retired Adam Fugitt successful the archetypal round. Dulatov is besides a people exemplary for decorator brands.

Brett Okamoto and Jeff Wagenheim connection their takeaways from UFC 318.

Thank you, Dustin Poirier

In my 15 years covering MMA, seldom person I felt compelled to connection a idiosyncratic "thank you" to an jock upon his oregon her retirement. It's not that I'm not grateful to each of them. I emotion watching radical pursuit greatness and interruption the perceived "limits" we spot connected ourselves and others. That's the astir beauteous happening astir combat sports. I conscionable don't consciousness similar it's ever my spot to specifically convey them for their careers arsenic they travel to a close.

Poirier is different, though. Honestly, helium has inspired maine successful my ain life. I retrieve aft helium won the interim lightweight rubric against Max Holloway successful Atlanta successful 2019, determination were pugnacious radical connected the net who implied Poirier cared excessively overmuch astir the interim status, saying things like, "Settle down, you're not adjacent the existent champ." Poirier didn't care. He fights his ain battles successful beingness -- aforesaid arsenic the remainder of america -- but helium ne'er backs down, and helium does it publicly, without ever being fake oregon showy. It's wherefore helium has been truthful beloved successful this sport. It's not wins and losses; it's the combat helium has successful him.

I could database my favourite memories of his career, but I don't request to. He whitethorn person ne'er officially held the UFC's undisputed championship, but he's arsenic morganatic a champion arsenic immoderate different successful my mind. I'm grateful to person had a front-row spot to his journey. -- Okamoto

Holloway did precisely what helium was chosen to do

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Max Holloway wins electrifying combat successful Dustin Poirier's last bout

Max Holloway wins by unanimous determination implicit Dustin Poirier successful the last combat of Poirier's career.

This was a nighttime created to observe the departing Poirier, but Holloway deserves love, too, for the mode helium ushered "The Diamond" retired the door.

Some mightiness accidental Holloway spoiled the party, but I'd antagonistic that by saying helium gave Poirier and Poirier's fans precisely what they came for: a fight. Five rounds of give-and-take. No retreat. This conflict with Holloway allows Poirier to locomotion distant knowing helium has expended everything helium had near for the sport.

Holloway was cleanable for his relation successful this affectional event. It would person been a shame if the UFC had booked Poirier successful a status combat against an antagonist trying to diminish him (of which determination are respective connected the roster). This was not an juncture for trash speech oregon animosity. Holloway tried to get the New Orleans fans to boo him retired of respect for Poirier, but what cretin would boo this guy? It was evident to everyone who paid attraction this week that Poirier and Holloway had thing but emotion for each other. Every bruise connected their faces and bodies, each driblet of humor shed, each of it was palpable grounds of their shared emotion for the athletics and the radical successful it who bash things the close way.

After having his manus raised, to the disappointment of the Smoothie King Center crowd, Holloway said a fewer words connected the microphone but rapidly ceded the halfway of the cage to the antheral of the hour. That was axenic class. This full trilogy has been people vs. class. MMA needs athletes similar these two, and it's bully that astatine slightest 1 of them volition proceed to compete. --Wagenheim

The assemblage got into it early, acknowledgment to the prelim fighters

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Islam Dulatov runs distant with 1 of the nastiest KOs you'll see

Islam Dulatov wakes the New Orleans assemblage up with an astonishing knockout successful the prelims of UFC 318.

As if the fans successful New Orleans needed much crushed than the status combat of Lafayette, Louisiana, autochthonal Poirier to get excited, the prelim fighters did their portion to rev up the Smoothie King Center.

The archetypal six fights of the evening ended by finish, starting with a rise-to-the-occasion show by women's flyweight Carli Judice, who is from Poirier's hometown and was successful conscionable her sixth pro fight. The assemblage ate that 1 up.

The adjacent 5 fights did not adjacent get retired of the archetypal round.

According to ESPN Research, erstwhile the five-fight aboriginal prelims ended with 5 finishes, it was conscionable the 2nd clip successful UFC past that's happened (along with 2021's UFC 259, which had finishes successful its archetypal 5 fights connected a paper with six aboriginal prelims). The 5 first-round finishes fell abbreviated of the UFC grounds of seven, which has happened connected 10 cards, astir precocious successful 2015 -- successful New Orleans, a metropolis celebrated for 2nd lines but seemingly not 2nd rounds. -- Wagenheim