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Brett Okamoto
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Brett Okamoto
ESPN Staff Writer
- Brett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: “Chuck and Tito,” which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.
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Jeff Wagenheim
From a spectacular debut to the bittersweet departure of a fan favorite, UFC 318 was a roller coaster of emotions.
In the main event, Max Holloway successfully defended his BMF championship, beating Dustin Poirier. The final bout of their career trilogy brought an end to a series that started 13 years ago. Leading up to the event, Poirier announced that he would be retiring following the fight.
In the co-main event, former middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa snapped a two-fight skid, beating Roman Kopylov by unanimous decision. Also on the card, Islam Dulatov made a statement in his UFC debut, knocking out Adam Fugitt in the first round. Dulatov is also a print model for designer brands.
Brett Okamoto and Jeff Wagenheim offer their takeaways from UFC 318.
Thank you, Dustin Poirier
In my 15 years covering MMA, rarely have I felt compelled to offer a personal “thank you” to an athlete upon his or her retirement. It’s not that I’m not grateful to all of them. I love watching people chase greatness and break the perceived “limits” we place on ourselves and others. That’s the most beautiful thing about combat sports. I just don’t feel like it’s always my place to specifically thank them for their careers as they come to a close.
Poirier is different, though. Honestly, he has inspired me in my own life. I remember after he won the interim lightweight title against Max Holloway in Atlanta in 2019, there were tough people on the internet who implied Poirier cared too much about the interim status, saying things like, “Settle down, you’re not even the real champ.” Poirier didn’t care. He fights his own battles in life — same as the rest of us — but he never backs down, and he does it publicly, without ever being fake or showy. It’s why he has been so beloved in this sport. It’s not wins and losses; it’s the fight he has in him.
I could list my favorite memories of his career, but I don’t need to. He may have never officially held the UFC’s undisputed championship, but he’s as legitimate a champion as any other in my mind. I’m grateful to have had a front-row seat to his journey. — Okamoto
Holloway did exactly what he was chosen to do
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Max Holloway wins electrifying fight in Dustin Poirier’s final bout
Max Holloway wins by unanimous decision over Dustin Poirier in the final fight of Poirier’s career.
This was a night created to celebrate the departing Poirier, but Holloway deserves love, too, for the way he ushered “The Diamond” out the door.
Some might say Holloway spoiled the party, but I’d counter that by saying he gave Poirier and Poirier’s fans exactly what they came for: a fight. Five rounds of give-and-take. No retreat. This battle with Holloway allows Poirier to walk away knowing he has expended everything he had left for the sport.
Holloway was perfect for his role in this emotional event. It would have been a shame if the UFC had booked Poirier in a retirement fight against an antagonist trying to diminish him (of which there are several on the roster). This was not an occasion for trash talk or animosity. Holloway tried to get the New Orleans fans to boo him out of respect for Poirier, but what cretin would boo this guy? It was evident to everyone who paid attention this week that Poirier and Holloway had nothing but love for each other. Every bruise on their faces and bodies, every drop of blood shed, all of it was palpable evidence of their shared love for the sport and the people in it who do things the right way.
After having his hand raised, to the disappointment of the Smoothie King Center crowd, Holloway said a few words on the microphone but quickly ceded the center of the cage to the man of the hour. That was pure class. This entire trilogy has been class vs. class. MMA needs athletes like these two, and it’s good that at least one of them will continue to compete. –Wagenheim
The crowd got into it early, thanks to the prelim fighters
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Islam Dulatov runs away with one of the nastiest KOs you’ll see
Islam Dulatov wakes the New Orleans crowd up with an amazing knockout in the prelims of UFC 318.
As if the fans in New Orleans needed more reason than the retirement fight of Lafayette, Louisiana, native Poirier to get excited, the prelim fighters did their part to rev up the Smoothie King Center.
The first six fights of the evening ended by finish, starting with a rise-to-the-occasion performance by women’s flyweight Carli Judice, who is from Poirier’s hometown and was in just her sixth pro fight. The crowd ate that one up.
The next five fights did not even get out of the first round.
According to ESPN Research, when the five-fight early prelims ended with five finishes, it was just the second time in UFC history that’s happened (along with 2021’s UFC 259, which had finishes in its first five fights on a card with six early prelims). The five first-round finishes fell short of the UFC record of seven, which has happened on 10 cards, most recently in 2015 — in New Orleans, a city famous for second lines but apparently not second rounds. — Wagenheim
