We farewell a legend of the sport this weekend as Dustin Poirier enters the octagon for the final time in front of his home fans in the state of Louisiana in UFC 318.
UFC gold has eluded Poirier throughout his distinguished career, but he can retire with a silver belt as he attempts to grab the BMF title off Max Holloway in his swansong performance.
Both of the fighters in the main event have been fan favourites throughout their careers and the stage is set for fireworks.
It’s not the only fun fight on the card and I have offered my thoughts and UFC 318 betting plays on the entire main card below.
Dustin Poirier vs Max Holloway
What makes a fighter popular with fans?
Their passion for the sport, an unwavering dedication to the art form, respect for their opponent, a thirst for blood and the best competition available.
All of those attributes are true of Dustin Poirier and for the majority of his adult life, he has entertained fight fans with not only his mixed martial arts skills but his attitude toward the most violent job he could have undertaken.
He welcomed Max Holloway to the UFC way back in 2012, a young man himself at the time, dishing up Max’s first professional loss via a vicious triangle arm bar in the first round.
All the attributes that I used for Poirier, are also true for Max Holloway.
After that first loss to Dustin, Max fought three more times in that same calendar year for three wins.
Two losses followed but then he went on one of the best winning streaks we have seen in the featherweight division, accumulating 13 straight wins including unifying the championship belt and two title defences.
Poirier moved to lightweight and while he never won the unified championship, he had wins over Conor McGregor, Justin Gaethje, Holloway (again) and Michael Chandler.
And so on Sunday we farewell a rare talent, a beloved character and one of the most brutal fighters the octagon has ever witnessed.
This is a mouth watering match up between two even competitors who are still fighting at the top of their game.
They are evenly matched and although Dustin Poirier is the bigger athlete, Max will undoubtedly match his tenacity and we can expect an all out war.
The surge of money this week has been with Holloway and it is likely because he is a better points fighter and we saw how well he can score points when he dominated Justin Gaethje before knocking him out clean in the final few seconds of that fight.
I do think Poirier likely needs a knockout and while I’m really struggling to split these two from a head to head perspective, I’m hoping the home crowd can get Dustin the victory.
1 Unit Dustin Poirier By KO/TKO or Submission @ $2.95
Paulo Costa vs Roman Kopylov
I refuse to get excited about this match up until both fighters enter the octagon such is the way with Brazilian Paulo Costa.
He put together an impressive win streak earlier in his career but failed in his title fight against Israel Adesanya back in 2020.
He has since gone 1-4 in his last five fights with numerous occasions where he has been forced out of potential fights due to a myriad of reasons.
Roman Kopylov has just three losses to his name during his 17 pro fight career including his first two in the UFC.
Since those losses he has won six of his last seven fight including wins over Chris Curtis and Cesar Almeida.
At the top of his game, Paulo Costa is one of the most dangerous fighters in the division and he has fought some very tough opponents during this tough run over the last few years.
His head to head price is too juicy to pass up.
2 Units Paulo Costa To Win @ $2.90
Kevin Holland vs Dan Rodriguez
I’m glad Kevin Holland is on this card because I can see him fighting for a BMF title one day.
The exact guidelines around what it takes to get a shot at that title are vague to say the least, but Holland certainly doesn’t shy away from a scrap!
He has been a fan favourite for quite some time because he is extremely active and doesn’t think too much about who his next opponent is or how tough a fight it may be.
His overall record isn’t in good shape because of this attitude but I’m sure his bank account is healthy!
Dan Rodriguez is a tough opponent for anyone and he has been fighting some of the best athletes in his division for a period now.
Three losses in a row against Ian Gary, Neil Magny and Kelvin Gastelum put a halt on any title aspirations but he has bounced back with wins over Alex Morono and Santiago Ponzinibbio in his last couple.
There is always a sneaky good fight on these PPV cards and this is the one.
Don’t miss it!
2 Units Kevin Holland By KO/TKO or Submission
Dan Ige vs Patricio Pitbull
All of the UFC’s fan favourite’s all on one card!
Dan Ige certainly fits this profile as he enters his 29th professional MMA fight in Louisiana.
Another athlete whose record has been diminished thanks to a no frills attitude where he is willing to take the hardest fights possible and sometimes on short notice.
This includes fighting Diego Lopes on less than 24 hours notice that didn’t go his way.
Former Bellator featherweight and lightweight champion Patricio Pitbull was welcomed into the UFC by Yair Rodriguez in April where he was convincingly beaten over three rounds.
It is further proof of the gap between other organisations and the UFC despite Pitbull being well supported in betting for that fight.
Both of these fighters have similar physical attributes and styles which makes it an intriguing match up.
Again, I’m struggling to split the two but as we are getting a better price for the former two-division Bellator champion that is where my money will be.
1 Unit Patricio Pitbull @ $2.45
Michael Johnson vs Daniel Zellhuber
Michael Johnson earned a UFC contract through The Ultimate Fighter GSP vs Koscheck way back in 2010 and has forged a successful professional career.
He has wins over Tony Ferguson, Dustin Poirier and Edson Barboza during his long and storied career.
There was a period where he had three wins from 12 fights but has extended his career thanks to four wins in his last six.
Daniel Zellhuber is 13 years younger than Johnson and there is no doubting this is the toughest challenge of his short career so far.
He beat Lucas Almeida in Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021 to earn a contract and put together three wins in a row following that.
This is a dangerous fight and the fact he is starting so short has me shying away from a bet to start the main card.
No Bet