February 1, 2025, Riyadh, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia: Vinicius Oliveira battles Said Nurmagomedov in their bantamweight fight during the UFC Fight Night: Adesanya v Imavov event at anb Arena on February 1, 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. /PxImages Riyadh Saudi Arabia – ZUMAp175 20250201_zsa_p175_148 Copyright: xDannyxPerezx
In an immense show of gratitude to their main event competitor, the UFC brings the action to Louisiana for UFC 318 and the much-anticipated retirement bout of lightweight legend Dustin Poirier. In the top-billed fight of the evening at UFC 318, Poirier attempts to go out on with a bang by vanquishing promotional rival Max Holloway in an electrifying trilogy showdown. In the co-main event, Paulo Costa makes his return to action against surging middleweight prospect Roman Kopylov.
UFC 318 Main Event
Competing in his final match in the UFC 318 main event, Poirier walks into the world-renowned Octagon for the last time in front of his home state of Louisiana. Determined to earn his third consecutive victory over Holloway, “The Diamond” will endeavor to walk off into the sunset with the title of BMF forever etched into his legacy as a UFC luminary.
Last year at UFC 300, Holloway catapulted himself into mainstream stardom after knocking out Justin Gaethje in one of the greatest finishes in mixed martial arts history to score the BMF belt. Putting his strap on the line for the first time, the former featherweight king has the opportunity to exact his revenge on Poirier after falling to the one-time interim 155-lb champion on two separate occasions.
June 1, 2024, Newark, Nj, USA: UFC 302: MAKHACHEV VS POIRIER .NEWARK, NJ- JUNE 1: Dustin Poirier during his fight against Islam Makhachev in a lightweight title.fight during the UFC 302 event at Prudential Center on June 1, 2024 in Newark, NJ. Newark USA – ZUMAr187 20240601_zsp_r187_011 Copyright: xJustinxRenfroex
UFC 318 Co-Main Event
Originally meant to square off with Kopylov at UFC 317, Costa now finds himself back in the fighting fray for the first time since dropping a split decision defeat to Sean Strickland at UFC 302. Seemingly more determined than ever to get back on the title hunt, “The Eraser” comes to blows with one of the division’s hardest-hitting contenders at UFC 318.
Following a disappointing loss to Anthony Hernandez at UFC 298, Kopylov has appeared to reinvent himself as a burgeoning 185-lb bruiser, netting two subsequent victories over César Almeida and Chris Curtis. Now gearing up to tackle the most high-profile opposition of his UFC career in UFC 318’s co-main event, the Russian can skyrocket up the middleweight rankings by toppling the established Brazilian.
Here’s How to Watch UFC 318
Online Streaming: You can catch the entire card on ESPN+, but you will need to subscribe in order to do so. Right now, the company is offering a monthly or yearly subscription of $11.99 and $119.99 respectively. For those who want to get more bang out of their buck, there is also the monthly Disney Bundle Deal, which offers ESPN+, Hulu, and Disney+ for $16.99 with included commercials, or $26.99 for no commercials at all.
Start Time and Date: The Early Preliminaries will begin at 6pm ET, followed by the Preliminaries at 8pm ET, then by the Main Card at 10pm ET on July 19th.
Bout Order for UFC 318
Main Card:
Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier (Lightweight BMF Championship)
Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov (Middleweight Co-Main Event)
Kevin Holland vs. Daniel Rodriguez (Welterweight)
Dan Ige vs. Patrício Pitbull (Featherweight)
Michael Johnson vs. Daniel Zellhuber (Lightweight)
Preliminaries:
Kyler Phillips vs. Vinicius Oliveira (Bantamweight Featured Bout)
Marvin Vettori vs. Brendan Allen (Middleweight)
Francisco Prado vs. Nikolay Vertennikov (Welterweight)
Ateba Abega Gautier vs. Robert Valentin (Middleweight)
Early Preliminaries:
Adam Fugitt vs. Islam Dulatov (Welterweight Featured Bout)
Jimmy Crute vs. Marcin Prachino (Light Heavyweight)
Ryan Spann vs. Łukasz Brzeski (Heavyweight)
Brunno Ferreira vs. Jackson McVey (Middleweight)
Carli Judice vs. Nicolle Caliari (Women’s Flyweight)