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In the main event of UFC 318, Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier will face off in a trilogy fight with Holloway's ceremonial BMF title on the line. However, retaining the BMF title is not the primary motivation for Holloway.
The Hawaiian previously lost the featherweight title trilogy against Alexander Volkanovski. As he prepares to face Poirier, who leads their rivalry 2-0, Holloway is determined not to become the fighter who goes 0-3 in two separate trilogies.
The 32-year-old expressed these thoughts in a recent interview with Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie, stating:
"I'm 0-3 in one trilogy. I'm not trying to be 0-3 in two trilogies. That's the main thing going through my mind. The BMF title is cool and everything, and making history is great, but the main history I ain't trying to make is be a man who fought two different trilogies and went 0-3. I'm focused on going out there and getting my hand raised. Shout out to DP, 'The Diamond'. He's a beast, he's an animal, he's a legend. I know this is his last dance, but I've got to play the spoiler here. I need this one."
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Check out Max Holloway's comments below (5:00):
Max Holloway is gearing up for a tough fight against Dustin Poirier
Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier's previous fights played out quite differently. Poirier defeated Holloway with relative ease in the first fight, while their UFC 236 rematch was a war that saw Poirier claim the interim lightweight title with a hard-fought unanimous decision victory. That said, Holloway is a slight betting favorite as they gear up for the trilogy fight.
In the aforementioned interview with MMA Junkie, Holloway expressed his desire to score a KO to end the rivalry while acknowledging that Poirier will present a formidable challenge:
"I'm straight focused here. Dustin's an animal, he's a beast... It's going to be a fun one... Let's hopefully get a [KO] on this one with me being on the winning side. That'd be cool. But... He's a hard fight. When you think of Dustin Poirier, you know what kind of fight he's going to be in. Him even saying it out loud now, only confirms it. It's going to be fun." [8:10]
UFC 318 will take place on July 19 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Holloway vs. Poirier 3 will headline the event, marking Poirier's final competitive MMA appearance.
