UFC 318 is locked in and ready to go, with the main card now officially finalized. The event is set to take place at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, on July 19, headlined by a BMF title showdown between Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway. The fight will also serve as Poirier’s farewell bout, capping off a remarkable career inside the Octagon.
Former featherweight champion Holloway (26-8) captured the BMF title in dramatic fashion, knocking out Justin Gaethje in the final seconds of their clash at UFC 300. Since then, “Blessed” has made one appearance—falling to a knockout loss against Ilia Topuria at UFC 308. That bout, however, was not contested for the BMF title.
Poirier (30-9) will make his final walk to the Octagon in front of a home-state crowd in Louisiana. This will be the third meeting between him and Holloway. Poirier submitted Holloway back in 2012 during the Hawaiian’s UFC debut, and won a five-round decision in 2019 to claim the interim lightweight title.
In the co-main event, former Bellator champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (36-8) returns to action in search of his first UFC win. He’ll face seasoned featherweight Dan Ige (19-9), hoping to rebound from a decision loss to Yair Rodriguez in his UFC debut at UFC 314.
Elsewhere on the main card, Paulo Costa (14-4) will return to middleweight to take on Roman Kopylov (14-3). Costa has dropped three of his last four outings since challenging Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title in 2020, while Kopylov enters the fight having won six of his last seven, currently sitting one spot behind Costa in the UFC’s 185-pound rankings.
Heavy-hitting prospect Ateba Gautier (7-1), known as “The Silent Assassin,” will aim to build on his sensational UFC debut, where he finished Jose Medina in under a round at UFC Mexico. He’ll meet Robert Valentin (10-5), winner of The Ultimate Fighter Season 32, who is still searching for his first UFC victory after going 0-2 to start his run.
The main card opener will feature a lightweight bout between UFC veteran Michael Johnson (23-19) and rising talent Daniel Zellhuber (15-2), with both fighters looking to gain traction in a crowded division.
