ARTICLE AD BOX
Dustin Poirier will fight in his last professional match on July 19 at UFC 318. His opponent will be Max Holloway, an old acquaintance he has faced twice in the Octagon, where The Diamond has won both times.
Both fighters are very popular in the MMA world thanks to their intense, life-or-death battles. In their last two matchups, neither held anything back. One of those fights is available for free on the UFC Eurasia YouTube channel. For these reasons, a third clash seems like a good choice for a farewell from the Octagon.
However, Poirier revealed that he had other desires about his last opponent.
Speaking to MMA Junkie, "The Diamond" said that he was looking for a match with Justin Gaethje, as they are currently tied 1-1, but he also wanted a fight with Ilya Topuria, who recently vacated the featherweight title.
"I asked Hunter Campbell to set me up with a trilogy with Gaethje. But for some reason, the UFC wanted a match with Max. I respect Max; he's a great opponent to finish," Dustin said.
As for Gaethje, he and Poirier had two great matches. Dustin won the first by TKO in 2018, while Gaethje retaliated in 2023 with a brutal high-kick knockout. Both fights were in the selection for the best match of the year.
He also mentioned that he immediately contacted the organization when he heard that Topuria was moving to lightweight, but he received a red light from the top.
"When Topuria said he was going to the light, I immediately wrote to them to inform me what they were planning. But they said there was nothing to it and that they wanted me to fight with Max," he explained.
Dana White has officially confirmed that UFC 318 will take place at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, with the main event of the night being a third fight between Poirier and Max Holloway (26-8) for the BMF belt. This is Diamond's last chance to retire as champion, with his hands raised in front of his Louisiana home crowd.
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