Dustin Poirier: Max Holloway vows "statement win" over Dustin Poirier to secure rematch with either Ilia Topuria or Charles Oliveira

Max Holloway recently opened up about his upcoming 'BMF' title defense against Dustin Poirier. He vowed to make a strong statement and secure a lightweight title shot.

Holloway is returning to 155 pounds, this time permanently, and will have an opportunity to avenge his two losses to Poirier in the latter's retirement fight.

Holloway vs. Poirier 3 is scheduled to headline UFC 318, which takes place at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana on July 19.

Although the bout is 'The Diamond's' final fight inside the octagon, the title being on the line adds more stakes, especially considering the current rankings.

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Holloway is ranked No. 4, having earned a knockout over No.3-ranked Justin Gaethje in his previous lightweight bout and could certainly make a strong case for a title shot should he defeat No. 5 ranked Poirier.

Championship Rounds posted a clip from a video posted to Holloway's YouTube channel, which shows him discussing what's at stake for him at UFC 318.

'Blessed' mentioned that he wants to earn a decisive win over Poirier and secure a rematch against the winner of Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira for the lightweight championship. He said:

"I still have title contentions in my mind. And a couple weeks before us, there's a title fight at 155 [pounds] and I got history with both [Topuria and Oliveira]. So, I go out there, I do my thing...I get a statement win, who's to say your boy won't fight for the [undisputed lightweight] title at the end of the year. "

Check out Championship Rounds' post featuring Max Holloway's comments below:

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Max Holloway discusses being Dustin Poirier's final opponent

Max Holloway also shared his thoughts on being Dustin Poirier's final opponent as he competes for the final time in his legendary career.

In the aforementioned clip, Holloway mentioned that he is prepared to spoil Poirier's plans of a storybook ending to his career. He said:

"I have the opportunity to be [Poirier's] retirement fight and I know he's trying to ride into the sunset. He can go and do that, but it might be a little sad because I wanna go out there and get my hand raised."

Check out the official UFC 318 poster for Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier 3 below:

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About the author

Giancarlo Aulino is an MMA news writer and interviewer at Sportskeeda. Having been onboard since 2021, Aulino has written list articles, before transitioning to MMA news writing.

In addition to writing at Sportskeeda, Aulino can be heard on VIBE 105.5FM in Toronto, Canada, where he conducts interviews called 'VIBEtalks.' Aulino's segments have featured many respected athletes, broadcasters, and celebrities. In 2024, Aulino, along with his VIBE 105 Sports team members, rebranded their content to The Game Plan 'TGP'.

In addition to MMA, Aulino was previously a pro wrestling writer and soccer (Football) reporter and covered Toronto FC (Major League Soccer) and York United FC (Canadian Premier League).

Follow him on Twitter: @Gian_411

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Edited by Tejas Rathi