Max Holloway was all class following his win in the main event of UFC 318.
Alexander Volkanovski spoke highly of Holloway’s ability to bounce back but in some ways, his BMF title defense wasn’t the story of UFC 318.
Dustin Poirier retired after being beaten by Holloway over five rounds, having announced that July 19 would be his final fight some time ago.
Poirier looks back at his career without any regrets and the UFC certainly did a great job giving him the send-off that he deserved.
Immediately after the fight, ‘Blessed’ cut his post-fight interview short inside the Octagon to give his opponent the floor before sharing his thoughts on ‘The Diamond’ the following day.
Max Holloway thanks Dustin Poirier and congratulates him in retirement after UFC 318
After thanking the fans in New Orleans and calling for a fight with Ilia Topuria, Max Holloway cut his time on the mic short after getting his hand raised at UFC 318.
“This ain’t my moment, I’m done talking,” Holloway said before embracing his opponent. “This is Dustin’s retirement fight. Give it up for the man.”
‘Blessed’ and Dustin Poirier have been linked throughout their UFC careers, with ‘The Diamond’ being the first opponent that Holloway ever faced inside the Octagon.
Their UFC 236 rematch in 2019 for the interim lightweight belt will go down in the history books as one of the greatest title fights of all time.
After being the final opponent of Poirier’s career on July 19, Holloway penned a social media post to pay a full public tribute to his dance partner, having finally secured a win against him.
While it wasn’t easy for the former featherweight champion to play spoiler on this occasion, the mutual respect between them made the BMF champion the perfect fit in many ways.
“It was an honor to share the octagon not once not twice but three times with this man. Thank you Dustin for being a warrior in the cage and even a greater person out of it. The sport is gonna miss you. Enjoy your retirement! Paid in full! Diamonds are forever.”
Max Holloway has already set his sights on his next opponent
While he didn’t take up much time with his post-fight interview, Max Holloway still made sure to talk about what he wants next.
There were some questions heading into UFC 318 regarding whether the first knockout loss of his career would impact ‘Blessed’ on his return.
The BMF champion did get hurt by Poirier in the second round but he was able to recover before winning a unanimous decision at the end of five rounds.
After he called for a rematch with Ilia Topuria, Dana White claimed that “anything is possible” for Holloway following his win on Saturday night.
