UFC 318 results: Sooo … About last night | Poirier vs. Holloway 3

Last night (Sat., July 19, 2025), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ventured forth to Smoothie King Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana for UFC 318. Man oh man, it’s nice to be treated to a straight up BANGER card! The night opened with a string of violent, quick stoppages, and though the finishes halted midway through the night, the quality remained high. Most of the decisions were actually really fun! It’s fitting that a legendary BMF clash like Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway was supported by so much action.

There’s lots to discuss, so let’s take a look back over the best performances and techniques of the evening:

Holloway Scores Respectful Revenge

I fully understand that UFC 318 was built around Dustin Poirier’s last dance. He’s one of the most entertaining Lightweights of all time and deserves every bit of respect thrown his way. Though rare, it’s always nice when beloved fighters are able to walk away on a victory. At the same time, I have to admit to cheering for Max Holloway, simply because he didn’t deserve to go 0-3 in this rivalry. He didn’t deserve to go 0-3 against Alexander Volkanovski either, but wonky judges can defeat even the GOATs.

The main event clearly belonged to Max Holloway.

For a minute or two in round one, it looked like Holloway was on his way to a quick knockout, which would’ve been pretty depressing. Instead, Poirier hung tough on the wrong side of a speed disadvantage, trying to find his moments. He was pummeled further in the second, but a short right hook behind the ear towards the end of round two floored Holloway and forced him to ease back a bit.

For the rest of the fight, Holloway was on point. Poirier stuck him with hard jabs, but most of his follow up punches came short or were viciously countered. Generally, Holloway did really good work in preventing Poirier from stringing together combinations successfully. Holloway countered his entrances with check hooks and kicks to the ribs, interrupting his would-be combo time and time again. He would also angle off well, keeping the pace at a reasonable level rather than full on chaotic Poirier brawl.

Finally, Holloway’s feints were outstanding here. In the second fight, he was dinged many times by that Poirier check hook and other counter shots. This time around, Holloway hid his attacks much more effectively, allowing him to line up that cross down the middle safely. Fans sometimes give Holloway s—t for relying on his chin and taking too many punches, but that’s partially the nature of being a high-volume fighter. The Hawaiian is actually quite good at proactively and reactively shots!

After 25 stellar minutes of action, Poirier can walk into retirement with his head held high, while Holloway moves forward as a bonafide Lightweight contender. It’s not the storybook ending “Diamond” fans were hoping for, but that’s nearly as good as it gets in MMA.

Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

BORRACHINHA RETURNS!

Paulo Costa didn’t exactly look like the 28-year-old bruiser who once cut through the ranks to earn a title shot, but this was still his best showing in years! He beat Roman Kopylov up for three full rounds, more than earning his return to the win column.

From his Karate stance (don’t like that generally), Costa effectively mixed his outfighting and in-fighting rather well. Part of that came naturally, as Costa has always fought Southpaws well. His right kick flew freely, landing hard to the mid-section often. He also made great use of the step up outside low kick, which helped him control the outside angle and line up his straight right hand.

Despite the Karate stance, Costa still managed to hit the body really well. It began by gaining the outside angle and just ripping his right hook into the ribs, which is a great tactic. Before too long, however, Costa was feinting to raise the guard and then attacking with his left hook, targeting the liver that is on a Southpaw’s lead side. He dug some nasty body punches to go along with that punishing right body kick, resulting in a really high connection rate.

All told, this was a strong showing from the Brazilian and proof he still has gas in the tank.

Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC

Kevin Holland’s Luck Runs Up

There’s a reason most UFC fighters don’t compete five times a year.

It’s hard work to go through all those training camps. The correct opponent isn’t always available. Injuries need to heal. There are a variety of reasons that two-to-three bouts per year is considered the norm, even if fans would love to see their favorite athlete compete more often.

Holland is an exception. He’ll take any fight. He gets away with it most of the time because of his incredible talent and physical gifts. There are limits, however, and Holland ran into a few of them last night versus Daniel Rodriguez.

First and foremost, Holland simply didn’t perform his best. His timing was off, whereas Rodriguez was immediately on point. Spin the wheel so often, and your odds of having a bad night while your opponent is sharp grow. Because of this difference, Holland’s speed and length advantage were neutralized by Rodriguez’s timing and power.

Secondly, Holland has lost a bit of that famous durability. After going years without touching the canvas, “D-Rod” sat him down twice. Rodriguez certainly hits hard, but just two years ago, Holland shrugged off plenty of Jack Della Maddalena’s punches. All the fights and training camps are adding up, and Holland is growing a little more human.

Rodriguez deserves props for picking up the best win of his career, but losing to 38-year-old “D-Rod” feels like the final nail in the idea of Holland as a contender.

Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC

The Enduring Menace

Michael Johnson has found consistency at 39 years of age.

“The Menace” is famous for his whacky fight results. At various points in his professional career, he handed Tony Ferguson his first UFC loss then got submitted by Reza Maddadi. He knocked out Dustin Poirier then immediately lost three in a row. He has coughed up countless fights in weird finishes after dominating the early goings.

Focus down the stretch always felt like an issue.

Suddenly, Johnson has won four of his last five. If judges were competent, we could easily be talking about six wins in his last seven. I’m not claiming Johnson is about to contend, but it’s really remarkable to see an older fighter fix a flaw that plagued him for his entire career. Against a really talented, much younger fighter in Daniel Zellhuber, Johnson was able to work the body, land heavy shots upstairs, and resist the third round rally.

Inspiring work.

Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

The Continued Fall Of Marvin Vettori

Marvin Vettori vs. Brendan Allen was a fun fight. Both men came to throw down and put out a ton of volume for an 185-pound contest. The primary difference seemed to be power: Allen was more consistently able to hurt Vettori, which kept him on the front foot and in control of the fight’s flow. It was nice to see Allen show some confidence in his kickboxing, rather than turn to wrestling as soon as he was cracked.

Unfortunately, the bigger narrative is Vettori looking shot at 31 years of age.

A few years ago, Vettori’s primary assets were strength, cardio, and durability. He’s never been a technical marvel, but he was well-rounded and gritty with a sharp 1-2. In his last two appearances, those gifts have disappeared or degraded horribly. Vettori’s chin is still iron, but he’s realized he doesn’t like getting cracked by full power shots. Even if he’s not hitting the floor, Vettori is now backing off rather than imposing his will.

Consequently, he eats more shots.

Where did Vettori’s well-rounded skills go? He used to wrestle as often as he struck, and that double-pronged attack was a big factor in his success. We just watched Allen get soundly outwrestled by Anthony Hernandez, so why didn’t Vettori bother shooting until he was battered in round three? Ideally, Vettori should’ve been moving forward, firing crisp straights rather than sloppy overhands, and looking to gain top position from the first bell.

Instead, he looked tired midway through the fight even without trying to wrestle. He never really hurt Allen in three rounds of trying. It’s quite a disappointing fall off, and it really feels like the Jared Cannonier fight stole much of the Italian’s would-be prime.

Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

ANOTHER WELTERWEIGHT ISLAM?

Islam Dulatov only fought for four minutes last night, but he definitely made an impression. Even if Dulatov had already made some waves on Contenders Series, it’s different to see him perform on the big stage.

The Russian prospect by way of Germany showed a nasty kickboxing game at the expense of Adam Fugitt. His output and accuracy were immediately high, forcing Fugitt on the defensive. When Fugitt tried to open up and find his own offense, he was floored and finished by a nasty left hook.

A 26-year-old former Versace model with a 100% finish rate? Sounds like a potential star to me!

Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

Additional Thoughts

• Ateba Gautier defeats Robert Valentin via first-round knockout (highlights): Yeah, this one barely lasted a minute. Gautier lived up to his reputation as an inexperienced but very athletic prospect, absolutely destroying Valentin with power punches that crumbled the Swiss veteran. At 23 years of age, the sky currently feels like the limit for Gautier, though hopefully the promotion continues to bring him up slowly.
• Jimmy Crute defeats Marcin Prachnio via first-round armbar (highlights): After five years, Crute is finally back in the win column! His losses and draws have been frustrating, as the Australian is definitely more technically skilled than many of his peers despite the recent results. He turned to the wrestling early and often here, forcing Prachnio to the floor multiple times. Prachnio was able to work back up well until the final exchange, when he moved up the body and really solidified top position. Before long, he was through the guard and attacking the arm. To apply extra pressure, Crute trapped the wrist under his armpit, forcing a frantic tap from the Polish karateka.
• Ryan Spann defeats Lukasz Brzeski via first-round guillotine choke: The great Light Heavyweight migration continues! With Heavyweight being weaker than ever, there’s opportunity for not-quite-contenders like Spann to jump up in weight and start carving up unranked big boys. “Superman” overwhelmed his opponent, blasting him with a right hand then securing an easy takedown. As soon as Brzeski tried to stand, Spann took the opportunity to wrap up his neck with a guillotine, his fourth time landing the submission in the UFC.
• Brunno Ferreira defeats Jackson McVey via first-round armbar: Brunno Ferreira is a strange mix of wild offensive skills, but no one can call him ineffective. Opposite short-notice replacement McVey, Ferreira was outsized but not outgunned. Though the bout was initially competitive, a ripping low kick from the Brazilian really seemed to shake McVey’s game plan. He turned to the wrestling, and Ferreira ended up in top position. Immediately, it was clear McVey wasn’t comfortable from that position, and Ferreira snatched up his arm quickly.
• Carli Judice defeats Nicolle Caliari via third-round knockout (highlights): Find me a better UFC fighter with a 4-2 (now 5-2) professional record? Judice put on an absolute striking clinic, shucking off takedowns and pummeling Caliari for most of three rounds. She used her range advantage well to score at distance, but she also timed multiple hard knees as Caliari tried to press forward. Eventually, one connected perfectly to the liver, instantly flooring her opponent for a successful UFC debut.

For complete UFC 318 results and play-by-play, click here.