"Max Holloway won the fight, Dustin Poirier wins in life" - Legendary ex-MMA referee shares honest assessment of UFC 318 headliner

Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier after their fight at UFC 318. [Image courtesy: Getty]
Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier after their fight at UFC 318. [Image courtesy: Getty]

Max Holloway got his hand raised in New Orleans at UFC 318 after he defeated Dustin Poirier by unanimous decision. Despite the loss, Poirier walked out of the fight a hero according to many fans, considering he delivered one last war for the ages before stepping away from the sport.

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Former UFC referee John McCarthy summed it up perfectly when he said Holloway won the fight, yet Poirier won in life. Speaking in a recent episode of the WEIGHING IN podcast, McCarthy said:

"I don't care that he lost the fight. I care that Dustin Poirier has been part of the sport. I still say he's got the greatest resume of any fighter I've ever seen as far as the people that he has competed against... He has got just an incredible resume. And then, you know, the guy that he fought in his last fight is right there, probably was one of the second-best resumes there is."
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He added:

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"It's a tough life to be that fighter. It's a tough life to be that fighter and to be a parent, a father or a mother. It's a tough life to be able to bring everybody into it and get them kind of involved in something that is a very selfish practice, and to do it and have people, you know, look at you the way that, you know, they look at Dustin Poirier. Max Holloway won the fight. Dustin Poirier wins in life."
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Check out John McCarthy's comments below (8:20):

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Poirier leaves behind a body of work stacked with wars, including wins against notable names like Justin Gaethje, Eddie Alvarez, Dan Hooker and more. Following the fight at UFC 318, Poirier got to say goodbye on his terms in front of his people.


Dustin Poirier reacts to the final seconds of his fight against Max Holloway at UFC 318

Dustin Poirier’s final fight at UFC 318 gave fans a glimpse of everything that made him a legend. In the closing seconds against Max Holloway, Poirier stepped forward when Holloway pointed to the center, ready to trade one last time.

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After taking a clean shot, though, his instincts took over, and he grabbed a clinch to run out the clock. Speaking about it in the post-fight press conference, Poirier said:

“I wanted to do it, you know. I looked up at the clock like ‘When are we doing this?’ You saw me looking at the clock a few times and saying, ‘That’s 25 seconds left? Not time yet.' Then he pointed down and I said ‘Yeah, I’ll oblige’ and he hit me with a few shots. So I said, ‘Okay, we’re going to wrestle a little bit, let me clinch up. ’ There’s only eight seconds left.”
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Check out Dustin Poirier's comments below:

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Edited by Abhishek Nambiar
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