Daniel Cormier suggests two names for wrapping BMF belt around winner of Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier 3 at UFC 318

As Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier prepare for their highly anticipated BMF title fight at UFC 318, Daniel Cormier proposed two ideas to make the victory moments memorable for each fighter.

The bout will mark Poirier's final competitive MMA appearance. Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Poirier recalled that he walked out to a Lil Wayne song in his first UFC fight, and hopes to complete the circle by walking out with Lil Wayne in his last walkout at UFC 318.

In a recent episode of Good Guy / Bad Guy, Cormier suggested that if Poirier defeats Holloway, Lil Wayne should wrap the BMF belt around his waist:

"If Lil Wayne is walking him out, Lil Wayne should walk out there and put the belt on Dustin Poirier... I think Lil Wayne should do it."

Cormier believes that if Holloway wins, his wife should have the honor of wrapping the BMF belt around his waist:

"It's kind of like personal because I watched the disappointment of the last fight [KO defeat against Ilia Topuria at UFC 308]. I'd let his wife do it because they're so close, and she means so much. I would let Max's wife do it because I saw how sad they were after the last fight. It's not just Max fighting. It's his entire team, his entire family. I would let his wife do it because of how much it means to the family, or I'd let his son do it. I'd let his wife or his son do it."

Check out Daniel Cormier's comments below (18:45):

While UFC CEO Dana White often wraps the championship belt around the winners' waists, the promotion has deviated from this practice for the ceremonial BMF title fights. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson wrapped the belt around inaugural champion Jorge Masvidal's waist.

Meanwhile, MMA pioneer Mark Coleman, who risked his life while saving his family members during a house fire in 2024, wrapped the belt around Holloway's waist after his victory over Justin Gaethje at UFC 300.

---

Daniel Cormier says stakes are high for Max Holloway at UFC 318

Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier 3 will mark the conclusion of the pair's competitive rivalry, with Poirier having won both their previous encounters.

Holloway has previously lost a trilogy 0-3 against featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, and Daniel Cormier thinks that the possibility of losing another trilogy raises the stakes for Holloway at UFC 318.

In the aforementioned episode of Good Guy / Bad Guy, Cormier said:

"It has to be much more than just winning a fight. Not only because [Holloway] has championship aspirations - he doesn't want to go 0-6 in two trilogies - but also because he's fighting a guy that's retiring. There's something to be the guy that's sticking around. That means that the pressure is a little bit more on you, because you still got to deal with everything that comes with MMA after Dustin Poirier hits the door." [9:35]

UFC 318 will take place at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana on July 18. Holloway vs. Poirier 3 will headline the event.