At UFC 318 in July, Max Holloway will shoulder the burden of seeing off Dustin Poirier as the Louisiana native bids farewell to MMA. Sentimental as it will be, Holloway has had the privilege of having done this before for another legend, one he considered pivotal to his career.
Holloway is currently in South Korea with his wife, Alessa Quizon, at the behest of retired UFC fighter and former foe Jung-Chan Sung AKA ‘The Korean Zombie’. Upon return, he is expected to make good on his move to lightweight with the added responsibility of having a fight worth Poirier’s swan song.
The pair have stepped into the octagon twice previously, with Poirier winning both fights. This fight will be a chance for ‘Blessed’ to get one win back and add to his own legacy- a legacy that has seen him become a champion at both 145 lbs and 155 lbs weight classes.
However, according to Holloway, he credits all his success to one single fighter, the same fighter who’s hosting him in Seoul.
“I looked up to this man when I was in high school, I watched him fight many times, so this guy’s an inspiration you know”, he told ‘The Korean Zombie’.
Max Holloways speaks on The Korean Zombie pic.twitter.com/45iAtVmKz4
— THE UFCGUY (@the_ufcguy) April 26, 2025
Holloway even went as far as to say, “Without a Korean Zombie, there wouldn’t be a Max Holloway, so at the end of the day I’m super grateful for him and his career.”
In August 2023, Holloway fought Zombie in the main event in Kallang, Singapore, and had to send his idol home with a third-round KO loss. The pair has found a certain kinship, and Holloway hopes he can share the same bond with Poirier after July 19.
Given both their track records, Holloway vs. Poirier is expected to be a no-holds-barred strikefest, especially with the Hawaii native’s BMF title on the line.
Holloway vs. Poirier III: What can fans expect?
It’s almost poetic how Poirier was Holloway’s first opponent in the UFC and now the BMF champion has the privilege of seeing off Poirier. To make it more emotional, he also gets to do it in front of his home crowd in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The first two times the pair fought, they put on a show for the fans, with two legendary bouts. Despite the results, both these fights were extremely close.
In the first fight at UFC 143 in 2012, Poirier showed his class, submitting ‘Blessed’ with an armbar. But as much as that did for Poirier’s career, it did more for Holloway.
Nobody expected much for Holloway on his debut, but the he did manage to put Poirier on backfoot, before the Louisiana native’s experience came to the fore.
Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway have already given UFC fans two memorable fights against each other
This trilogy for the BMF title is about to be special pic.twitter.com/TNYehdJjvk
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 25, 2025
The second fight was an all-out brawl, considered one of the greatest lightweight fights of all time. For 5 rounds at UFC 236 in 2019, the pair went back and forth with Holloway’s lightweight title on the line.
By the end of the fight, the whole arena was on their feet cheering the two fighters on. So if that was any indication, UFC 318 is set to be fireworks.
‘The Diamond’ has nothing to lose; he knows it’s his last time in the octagon, so he will do everything in his power to go out victorious, with a KO.
Holloway, on the other hand, will hope to finally get one over Poirier before the chance gets away from him completely.
