UFC 318 goes down live from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on July 19th, with Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier set to clash for the third time as the BMF title is on the line. With Poirier taking on Holloway for the third time in what’s supposed to be the last fight in the Diamond’s career, this is arguably the most important fight in the trilogy as both fighters are coming off championship losses. 

With four other exciting fights slated to go down, here’s a full breakdown of the main card and each bout scheduled to take place. 

Michael Johnson vs. Daniel Zellhuber

While Michael “The Menace” Johnson does have notable wins over Tony Ferguson and Edson Barboza, his 24-19 record leaves a lot of doubt against a young, hungry prospect like Daniel Zellhuber. The Mexico City native has youth and reach on his side; despite a razor close defeat to Esteban Ribovics at Noche UFC, Zellhuber’s volume and diverse skillsets give him a noticeable advantage over the UFC veteran. 

Many analysts favor Zellhuber for this exact reason as he currently sits as a -700 favorite against Johnson. I predict Zellhuber’s high volume and power will be enough to knockout Johnson, with an expected first or second round KO/TKO to happen. 

Dan Ige vs. Patricio Pitbull

Dan Ige is coming off a TKO win at UFC 314 against Sean Woodson while Patricio Pitbull is looking to bounce back after a lackluster debut against Yair Rodriguez.

Many fans have been skeptical to favor Pitbull because of his most recent performance as Ige has made a name for himself in beating unranked featherweight fighters. With finishes over Andre Fili and Gavin Tucker, Ige’s pace and power can prove to give the former Bellator champion some problems leading into this fight. While Ige hasn’t proven himself to be the most elite featherweight in the division, the overall performances from Bellator turned UFC fighters has shown a definite skill gap between the two organizations. 

Pitbull’s age and overall hesitancy to attack when the moment is right has not giving me enough hope to favor the Brazilian, despite both fighters being 2-3 in their last five fights.

I predict Ige to pressure Pitbull to a unanimous decision victory as momentum and pressure favor the Hawaiian fighter. 

Kevin Holland vs. Daniel Rodriguez

I’m kind of surprised Holland didn’t get a ranked opponent after his most recent performance against Vicente Luque, but i’m glad the UFC is trying to run it back with D-Rod after the UFC 279 debacle. While Rodriguez is a tough challenge for a lot of welterweights, I can’t see Holland losing this fight as he is already fighting for the fourth time this year. 

Holland’s length and dynamic striking combined with his grappling has proven to be a problem for his last two opponents, while Rodriguez has proven to struggle against fighters with a similar style. Also, the Trailblazer’s biggest struggles have come against fighters with heavy wrestling gameplans, something D-Rod isn’t known for. 

That being said, Holland’s combination of slick striking, kicks and grappling should be enough to finish D-Rod in either the first or second round. 

Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov

In Costa’s yearly return to UFC action, he faces surging Russian fighter Roman Kopylov. While Costa may have the resume that fans may be excited about, he has not had a single win against anyone currently signed to the UFC. 

Despite Costa’s promise to return to his old aggressive style, the last fighter I heard say that was Sean Strickland and everyone knows when he promises a war it ends up being the opposite. The downfall of Paulo Costa from surging middleweight title challenger to gatekeeper has shown how much division has grown over the last five years, with Kopylov proving his growth as he is 6-1 in his last seven fights. 

Kopylov’s versatile striking and proven ability to takedown heavy strikers in his win over Cesar Almeida gives me enough confidence to pick him by unanimous decision. Unless Costa gets an early first or second round knockout, he will get picked apart and dissected for three straight rounds like he was against Sean Strickland. 

Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier

In the people’s main event, Holloway and Poirier’s third fight puts two of the most beloved UFC fighters in recent memory against each other for the last time. Both Holloway and Poirier are both coming off losses to the champions of their respective divisions, Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev. 

While Holloway is the slight favorite going into the bout, The Diamond has history on his side as he is 2-0 against the former UFC featherweight champion. Poirier has also never lost back-to-back fights in his career, giving fans more interest to put their money on the former interim lightweight champion. If Poirier can complete the trilogy with a three-peat against Holloway, there is speculation that the Diamond will call out current lightweight champion, Ilia Topuria, for one last shot at the belt. 

Regardless of whether Poirier chooses to retire in New Orleans or not, history is on his side as his pressure-style should be enough to come out on top.