Max Holloway took advantage of his last chance to beat Dustin Poirier with a unanimous decision win over The Diamond at UFC 318 in his opponent’s retirement fight in New Orleans on Saturday night. <\/p>\n
Holloway drew first blood. Blessed cracked Poirier with a quick one-two combination that he snuck through Poirier\u2019s guard. The Diamond worked his way to the feet, but not before his opponent took the first big moment of the fight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Poirier may have worked his way back to the feet, but Holloway wasn\u2019t done putting on the pressure. He set the tone early and followed up in the second round to remind everyone he wasn\u2019t just there to wish Poirier well in retirement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Riding out the second rush from Holloway led to Poirier\u2019s first moment of the fight. He unleashed a flurry and put Holloway on the ground with a hook before jumping a guillotine attempt to complicate the score for Round 2.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Poirier found success with his jab in the third round and made a case to win the round. However, Holloway entered the final frame with a lead on most cards.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ultimately, Poirier wasn\u2019t able to put together a final push to win the retirement bout, but the two fighters didn\u2019t disappoint in putting together a fun scrap.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It’s a huge win for Holloway and a bit of a disappointment for Poirier. The 36-year-old made it clear that this was his last fight. The opportunity to fight in his home state of Louisiana against a fighter he has seen two other times in his career set the stage for a perfect goodbye. <\/p>\n
Unfortunately for him, Holloway was a little more game this time around. <\/p>\n
However, it is a fitting end for one of the best action fighters of an era. Poirier never captured undisputed UFC gold, but he did win the interim lightweight championship with a win over Holloway in 2019. <\/p>\n
Still, he wound up with 10 Fight of the Night appearances and an additional four Performance of the Night bonuses in his career. With wins over Conor McGregor (twice), Holloway (twice), Anthony Pettis, Eddie Alvarez and Michael Chandler, he beat his fair share of world champions. <\/p>\n
Poirier was vocal about this being his final fight throughout the build-up. Win or lose against Holloway, he was prepared to walk away on his own terms. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not getting forced out of this,\u201d he said, per Greg Rosenstein<\/a> of NBC Sports. \u201cI\u2019m choosing to walk away, and that\u2019s very important to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Holloway doesn’t look poised to leave the sport anytime soon. Holloway was looking to bounce back strong after a knockout loss to Ilia Topuria his last time out. <\/p>\n