Apr 13, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; (Editors Note: Graphic Content) Max Holloway (red gloves) fights Dustin Poirier (blue gloves) during UFC 236 at State Farm Arena. Poirier won by unanimous decision. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

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Max Holloway, Dustin Poirier to settle the score for their 13 year old rivalry in The Diamond’s Farewell Fight

Learn all about Dustin Poirier’s farewell fight against 13-year rival Max Holloway in the UFC.

Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier have been rivals in the UFC for thirteen-years of their MMA career. These two fighters have put on impressive shows for the fans whenever they faced off against one another. The two of them have squared off against each other twice in the past.

However, all of that is going to change. Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier has declared his farewell match in the UFC. His opponent will be Max “Blessed” Holloway for the third time. This fight will mark the third time that these two will be meeting each other inside the Octagon. However, when will the UFC Fans get to watch the two of them go at each other for the third and final time? Let’s have the answer for that.

Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier will be facing off at UFC 318

Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier will fight it out for the final time in the main event of UFC 318 on July 19, 2025. Notably, Max Holloway will also defend his BMF belt against Dustin Poirier in this final fight as per the UFC official site.

🚨 BREAKING 🚨

Dustin Poirier (@DustinPoirier) will make his final walk to the Octagon against BMF champion Max Holloway (@BlessedMMA) in the main event at #UFC318 in New Orleans.

More information ➡️: https://t.co/M4oG2rOLCt https://t.co/M4oG2rOLCt
— UFC News (@UFCNews) April 25, 2025

Notably, Dustin Poirier appeared on The Pat McAfee Show on April 26, 2025, before choosing for the New Orleans Saints during the third round of the draft. It is there that Pat McAfee asked him about the massive announcement about the Octagon that he have regarding the city of New Orleans. Poirier stated (via ESPN MMA on YouTube)-

“Yeah man, yeah we’re coming back to New Orleans. The UFC is coming back to New Orleans in July. July 19 is gonna be my final fight. I’m going to lay my gloves down in Louisiana, where it all started for me. The whole journey started there, and I’m just honored the UFC was on the same page, the state of Louisiana was on the same page to make all of this work. I didn’t know if it was going to all come together, but it did. July 19th, me and Max Holloway are going to fight five-rounds main event pay-per-view for his current uh, BMF title.”

Dustin Poirier has acknowledged Max Holloway to be a legend. He said that he could not think of a better guy to fight against in his retirement fight. Notably, he was Max Holloway’s first UFC opponent in 2012 and now, Max Hollway will be his last opponent in 2025. Dustin Poirier revealed that he and Max Holloway will put up another round of war in this third and last fight between the two.

What happened in the two previous fights between Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier?

Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier have faced off twice so far in their respective MMA careers. The first one was Max Holloway’s debut UFC Fight at UFC 143 on February 4, 2012. However, he lost to Dustin Poirier via a triangle armbar (submission) as per the UFC official site.

These two again faced off for the second time at UFC 236 on April 13, 2019. This time, they fought for the interim Lightweight Championship. Notably, Max Holloway was the reigning Featherweight Champion back then. However, Dustin Poirier beat thumb the second time via unanimous decision as per the UFC official page.

Now that the third fight between the two is confirmed, only time will tell whether Dustin Poirier can make it 3-0 against Max Holloway. Or will Max Holloway rebound from his two previous losses, defeat Dustin Poirier and finally end the trilogy 2-1 after thirteen years.

Dustin Poirier

Max Holloway

MMA

UFC

UFC 318

Arka Mukherjee

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mma

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I’m a sports content writer focusing on MMA, WWE and MLB writer at The Playoffs. I have a Master’s degree in Media Science (M.Sc) from my college The Heritage Academy. I got into the sports industry through my previous company where I worked from 2023 to March 2025. I’m a fan of combat sports like pro wrestling and MMA. My favorite part about working at The Playoffs is speculating what can be happening in WWE, especially face-heel turns and results of matches.