{"id":6282,"date":"2025-07-18T02:59:37","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T01:59:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/?p=6282"},"modified":"2025-07-18T12:04:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T11:04:12","slug":"poirier-vs-holloway-trilogy-at-ufc-318-fighters-predictions-split-between-support-for-poirier-and-confidence-in-holloway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/poirier-vs-holloway-trilogy-at-ufc-318-fighters-predictions-split-between-support-for-poirier-and-confidence-in-holloway\/","title":{"rendered":"Poirier vs Holloway Trilogy at UFC 318: Fighters\u2019 Predictions Split Between Support for Poirier and Confidence in Holloway"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3822\" data-end=\"3999\">Mixed martial arts fans\u2019 eyes are on the main event of UFC 318, where American Dustin Poirier will face Hawaiian Max Holloway in a high-stakes fight marking their third meeting.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\udd25 Dustin Poirier takes on Max Holloway in their final dance inside the Octagon!<\/p>\n<p>A clash of grit, honor, and pure fire&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>The ending? It\u2019s gonna be explosive! \ud83e\udde8\ud83e\udde8\ud83e\udde8<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/UFC318?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#UFC318<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/TheDiamond?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#TheDiamond<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Holloway?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Holloway<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Tp4t7UFy2T\">pic.twitter.com\/Tp4t7UFy2T<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; mmamag.ma (@jamalsoussi10) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jamalsoussi10\/status\/1946154731874726015?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 18, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4001\" data-end=\"4313\">In their previous two encounters, Poirier won both: first by submission at UFC 143 in 2012, then by judges\u2019 decision at UFC 236 in 2019. This fight represents Poirier\u2019s last chance before his announced UFC retirement, adding an emotional edge, while bookmakers favor Holloway with odds ranging from 1.70 to 2.05.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4315\" data-end=\"4360\">What do the fighters say about the fight?<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4362\" data-end=\"4508\">Despite bookmakers\u2019 predictions, UFC fighters\u2019 opinions differ widely. A survey of fighters across different weight classes yielded the following:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4510\" data-end=\"5831\">\n<li data-start=\"4510\" data-end=\"4735\">\n<p data-start=\"4512\" data-end=\"4735\"><strong data-start=\"4512\" data-end=\"4545\">Steve Garcia (featherweight):<\/strong> \u201cThey\u2019re my two favorite fighters. But I think Max will win in the end. I hope Dustin wins his retirement fight, but these two are so evenly matched that Dustin can\u2019t win all three fights.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"4737\" data-end=\"4939\">\n<p data-start=\"4739\" data-end=\"4939\"><strong data-start=\"4739\" data-end=\"4771\">Marcos McGee (bantamweight):<\/strong> \u201cIt\u2019s tough, both are machines and legends. I think Max has a rematch to take and will get the job done. I lean toward Max, but honestly, whoever wins, I\u2019ll be happy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"4941\" data-end=\"5098\">\n<p data-start=\"4943\" data-end=\"5098\"><strong data-start=\"4943\" data-end=\"4974\">Max Griffin (welterweight):<\/strong> \u201cI\u2019ve always supported Max, but this time I\u2019m picking Dustin Poirier. I think Dustin will finish the fight with a big win.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"5100\" data-end=\"5324\">\n<p data-start=\"5102\" data-end=\"5324\"><strong data-start=\"5102\" data-end=\"5133\">Eric Anders (middleweight):<\/strong> \u201cPoirier has a 2-0 record against Holloway, and he\u2019s fighting at 70 kg, a weight where he\u2019s more successful. This is his last fight at home, and I think he\u2019ll end his career with a victory.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"5326\" data-end=\"5524\">\n<p data-start=\"5328\" data-end=\"5524\"><strong data-start=\"5328\" data-end=\"5361\">Diego Ferreira (lightweight):<\/strong> \u201cI\u2019m sticking with Poirier. I think he\u2019s motivated and eager to finish his career with a home win. He\u2019s already beaten Max twice, so he has a psychological edge.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"5526\" data-end=\"5645\">\n<p data-start=\"5528\" data-end=\"5645\"><strong data-start=\"5528\" data-end=\"5560\">Drakkar Klose (lightweight):<\/strong> \u201cI like them both, but I think Dustin Poirier will win again and continue to shine.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"5647\" data-end=\"5831\">\n<p data-start=\"5649\" data-end=\"5831\"><strong data-start=\"5649\" data-end=\"5680\">Austin Lingo (heavyweight):<\/strong> \u201cI like Max Holloway, but I saw Dustin Poirier training at ATT in great shape. I\u2019m betting on Poirier, but it will be a classic, unforgettable fight.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"5833\" data-end=\"5908\">Analysis: Why do fighters favor Poirier while bookmakers back Holloway?<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"5910\" data-end=\"6142\">While bookmakers lean toward Holloway, cage professionals believe Poirier\u2019s experience against the same opponent, his two previous wins, and his motivation to deliver a great final performance in his hometown strengthen his chances.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"6144\" data-end=\"6294\">Meanwhile, Holloway boasts a strong record and huge popularity and appears to be in excellent physical and technical form, making the fight wide open.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83c\udf99\ufe0f Max Holloway explains why he said Justin Gaethje hits harder than Ilia Topuria:<\/p>\n<p>&quot;With Justin, I felt the power. <\/p>\n<p>But Ilia just put me to sleep \u2014 I didn\u2019t feel a thing, so it\u2019s hard to judge.&quot; \ud83d\ude05\ud83e\udd4a<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/UFC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#UFC<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Holloway?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Holloway<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Topuria?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Topuria<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Gaethje?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Gaethje<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/CXBeaU3ghE\">pic.twitter.com\/CXBeaU3ghE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; mmamag.ma (@jamalsoussi10) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jamalsoussi10\/status\/1946156497303429453?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 18, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"6296\" data-end=\"6310\">Conclusion<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"6312\" data-end=\"6538\">The Poirier vs Holloway 3 fight is not just a bout but an epic story filled with memories, challenges, and strong will from both fighters. As everyone awaits the outcome, this event undoubtedly remains historic in UFC history.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"6540\" data-end=\"6690\">Will Poirier end his career with an emotional victory? Or will Holloway cement his dominance in the featherweight division? The coming days will tell.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mixed martial arts fans\u2019 eyes are on the main event of UFC 318, where American Dustin Poirier will face Hawaiian Max Holloway in a high-stakes fight marking their third meeting. \ud83d\udd25 Dustin Poirier takes on Max Holloway in their final dance inside the Octagon! A clash of grit, honor, and pure fire&#8230; The ending? It\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6283,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,86,21,91],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6282","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mma","8":"category-mma-video","9":"category-ufc-news","10":"category-ufc"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6282"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6282"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6282\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6284,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6282\/revisions\/6284"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}