Bromance? Islam Makhachev ‘100 percent’ rooting for Dustin Poirier in UFC 318 retirement fight: ‘We text each other a lot’

Dustin Poirier will enter his final Octagon appearance at UFC 318 later tonight (Sat., July 19, 2025) live on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, La., and “Diamond” does so with the full support of former UFC lightweight champion and former foe, Islam Makhachev.

Despite never winning undisputed UFC gold, Poirier is one of the most respected and beloved fighters in all of mixed martial arts (MMA). The long-time UFC veteran has fought some of the biggest names in the sport and has won many of those fights as well. From his wars with Conor McGregor and Max Holloway to his incredible performances against Justin Gaethje and Dan Hooker, “Diamond” will always be remembered as one of the most entertaining fighters ever.

Another key moment in Poirier’s career came at UFC 302 in June 2024 (his last fight) when he faced Makhachev for the UFC lightweight title. Poirier had come up considerably short to Khabib Nurmagomedov back in 2019 so he was hoping for some redemption against Makhachev. While Makhachev went on to capture a memorable fifth-round submission finish it was arguably his toughest fight to date. Poirier hung in tough and nearly knocked off the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world.

In turn, Poirier and Makhachev have formed a bit of a friendship. According to Makhachev, who is now pursuing gold in the UFC’s welterweight division, the two fighters text a lot. Makhachev is completely backing Poirier for his last fight this weekend at UFC 318 when “Diamond” meets Holloway in a trilogy fight for UFC’s “BMF” title.

Check it out below:

“100% [I will root for Dustin]. He’s my guy, I will root for him,” said Makhachev during a recent interview with okko.mma. “We text each other a lot. And this is his last fight, I think he will come out at his peak. I wish him luck and I think he will win.”

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 318 fight card right RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN2/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the UFC 318 PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 318: “Holloway vs. Poirier 3” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 318 fight card and PPV lineup click here.