Why UFC 318 Mattered
A sell-out crowd packed New Orleans’ Smoothie King Center to witness Dustin Poirier’s last walk, Max Holloway’s redemption quest, Paulo Costa’s must-win return and Patricio “Pitbull” Freire’s UFC debut. By the final horn, rankings had shifted, retirements were confirmed and three Performance bonuses landed in explosive style. Yahoo EsportesMMA Fighting
Main-Card Scoreboard
| Division / Stakes | Match-up | Official Result |
|---|---|---|
| BMF Title – 155 lb | Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier III | Holloway def. Poirier — UD 49-46, 49-46, 48-47 Yahoo Esportes |
| Middleweight | Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov | Costa def. Kopylov — UD 30-27 Yahoo Esportes |
| Welterweight | Daniel Rodriguez vs. Kevin Holland | Rodriguez def. Holland — UD 29-28 × 3 Yahoo Esportes |
| Featherweight | Patricio “Pitbull” Freire vs. Dan Ige | Pitbull def. Ige — UD 29-28 (all) MMA Fighting |
| Lightweight | Michael Johnson vs. Daniel Zellhuber | Johnson def. Zellhuber — UD 29-28 (all) |
How the headliners played out
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Holloway vs Poirier III – “Blessed” set a frenetic pace (200+ significant-strike attempts) and nullified Poirier’s late takedowns, handing the Diamond a bittersweet retirement loss. Yahoo Esportes
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Paulo Costa’s revival – Leg-kicks, cage pressure and a first-round knock-down carried the Brazilian to his first win since 2020; he immediately called out Khamzat Chimaev. | BJPenn.com
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Rodriguez vs Holland – A back-and-forth brawl of elbows and d’arce attempts; D-Rod’s cleaner boxing edged the cards.
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Pitbull’s successful debut – The Bellator legend survived a head-kick scare, scored a knock-down in R2 and banked top control to seal 29-28s. MMA Fighting
Prelims That Popped
| Division | Result | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Middleweight | Brendan Allen def. Marvin Vettori — UD 30-27 | Three knock-downs and clinch elbows delivered Fight of the Night. MMA Fighting |
| Welterweight | Ateba Gautier TKO Robert Valentin 1:10 R1 | Seventh straight knockout; $50 k bonus. |
| Welterweight | Islam Dulatov KO Adam Fugitt 4:06 R1 | 12-0, all finishes; $50 k bonus. |
| Women’s Straw | Carli Judice TKO Nicolle Caliari (liver knee) R3 | Viral body-shot finish, Performance bonus. MMAmania.com |
$50 000 Bonuses
| Award | Recipients |
|---|---|
| Fight of the Night | Brendan Allen vs Marvin Vettori MMA Fighting |
| Performance | Ateba Gautier • Islam Dulatov • Carli Judice MMAmania.com |
Storylines & SEO Nuggets
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“Holloway vs Poirier 3 result” – Holloway spoils Poirier’s retirement, vaults back into lightweight title talk. Yahoo Esportes
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“Paulo Costa win UFC 318” – Costa snaps skid, targets Chimaev grudge match. Yahoo Esportes
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“UFC 318 bonuses” – Allen-Vettori war, plus three highlight-reel stoppages rewarded. MMA Fighting
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Google spike – “Max Holloway BMF” hit a 430 % search jump within 24 h. Diario AS
Who’s Next?
| Fighter | Logical Match-up | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Max Holloway | Ilia Topuria (FW) or Arman Tsarukyan (LW) | Two-division intrigue, high PPV upside. |
| Paulo Costa | Khamzat Chimaev | Call-out went viral; schedules align for October. |
| Brendan Allen | Title-eliminator vs. Dricus Du Plessis | Seven-fight streak + FOTN momentum. |
| Islam Dulatov | Bryan Battle | Gateway to welterweight Top-15. |
| Carli Judice | Tabatha Ricci | Rocket to women’s strawweight rankings. |
UFC 318 delivered theatre on every level: a legend’s swan song, a Hawaiian resurgence, a resurgent Brazilian, and prelims so wild they hijacked the bonus pool. With lightweight and middleweight landscapes now shaken, the road to year-end title fights just got a lot more compelling.
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