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How to watch UFC 318: Holloway vs Poirier 3, time, fight card & more info

It’s been 13 years since Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier first locked horns, and on July 19th, the two octagon icons meet for a third and final time, with Poirier set to hang up his mitts straight after the clash, following an iconic 15-year, 41-fight career. While there’s no world title on the line, it’s appropriate that these two cage warriors are top of the bill at UFC 318 in New Orleans.

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When the pair first got it on in 2012 at UFC 143, the fight didn’t even last a round with Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier performing a triangle armbar on Holloway, who was making his UFC debut, to earn the win and the submission of the night award. Poirier would take the honours in the rematch, too, which was the feature bout at UFC 236 in 2019. This time it was an epic 5-rounder, with the lethal leftie from Louisiana claiming a unanimous points decision win, which put pay to Holloway’s 13-win streak.

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Poirier is guaranteed fervent and vocal support at the Smoothie King Centre in New Orleans. He’s bidding farewell to the sport by fighting in front of his home state fans for the first time since 2015, when he stopped Yancy Medeiros in the opening round and received a performance of the night gong in doing so. Poirier has an impeccable record when fighting in Louisiana. In his pre-UFC days, he fought five times in the Pelican State, winning all five bouts in or before the 2nd round. However, at 36 years of age, with 3 defeats from his last 5 starts and the last of those coming over 13 months ago, against Islam Makhachev, the doomsayers will be casting aspersions about Poirier’s chances of producing the goods on the big stage once again.

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Dustin Poirier might be grabbing a lot of the pre-fight headlines, but it’s also a huge night for Max Holloway. While there’s no official weighted world title on the table, Dana White and his UFC cohorts are hyping up the fact that Holloway is defending his symbolic BMF/’Baddest Motherf***er’ belt, which he took off Justin Gaethje in devastating fashion at UFC 300. The BMF belt is the UFC's method of recognising the sport's most violent fighters and was introduced at UFC 244 in 2019, with Nate Diaz taking on Jorge Masvidal in the inaugural BMF title fight. Dustin Poirier has fought for the BMF title before when he took on Justin Gaethje (and lost) at UFC 291 in 2023.

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Max Holloway, the fighter who has landed the most blows (and received the most) in the history of the UFC, is also looking for payback in this trilogy tussle, having lost both of those previous encounters with Poirier. This bout also marks the beginning of a permanent move to the lightweight division for the ‘Blessed’ one from Hawaii, following his heavy loss to Ilia Topuria last October. A win over a perennial contender like Poirier would immediately position the former featherweight king among the elite at 155 pounds.

Let GOAL give you all the vital information you need to know ahead of UFC 318: Holloway vs Poirier 3, including the full card details and how you can watch or stream all the action live.

When is UFC 318: Holloway vs Poirier 3?

DateSaturday, July 19th
LocationSmoothie King Centre, New Orleans, Louisiana
Undercard start time 8 pm ET / 1 am BST (Sunday)
Main event walks11.30 pm ET (4.30 am BST, Sunday)

UFC 318 marks the promotion's sixth visit to New Orleans and the first since UFC Fight Night: Boetsch vs Henderson in 2015, which was also staged at the Smoothie King Centre. The venue, which the locals refer to as SKC or 'The Blender', is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New Orleans, Louisiana and is located adjacent to the Caesars Superdome. The arena opened in 1999 and has been home to the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans since 2002. It seats 16,867 for Pelicans games and 17,805 for concerts and shows.

Looking for tickets for UFC 318? Go to Ticketmaster - prices currently range from $431 - $3000.

How to watch UFC 318: Holloway vs Poirier 3 in the US

In the United States, UFC 318: Holloway vs Poirier 3 will be broadcast live on ESPN PPV, with streaming available via the ESPN+ app. This is a standalone service from regular ESPN, so you don’t need to be an existing TV subscriber to buy a PPV card. You can download the app for PC, Apple, Android, Fire TV, Roku, Smart TV and many others. The whole event costs $79.99.

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How to watch UFC 318: Holloway vs Poirier 3 in the UK

UFC 318 coverage will be shown live on TNT Sports in the UK. You can live stream on discovery+ and watch via TNT Sports' TV channels on Sky, BT and Virgin Media platforms. Discovery+ Premium is £30.99 per month and available on a monthly rolling contract. This includes TNT Sports and other entertainment channels. Existing BT broadband customers can access TNT Sports for £20 per month. The package consists of TNT Sports and Discovery+.

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Watch UFC 318: Holloway vs Poirier 3 from anywhere with a VPN

If UFC 318 isn't available to watch live in your area or if you're travelling, you can use a VPN to tune into the action from wherever you are. A VPN creates a secure connection to bypass geographical restrictions and access your favourite streaming services from anywhere.

We recommend NordVPN if you're unsure which VPN to choose, but you can also check out our in-depth VPN guide to determine which one is best for you.

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UFC 318: Holloway vs Poirier 3 Fight Card

Main Card

Weight classFight
Lightweight (BMF title)Max Holloway vs Dustin Poirier
MiddleweightPaulo Costa vs Roman Kopylov
WelterweightKevin Holland vs Daniel Rodriguez
Featherweight Dan Ige vs Patricio Pitbull
Lightweight Michael Johnson vs Daniel Zellhuber

Max Holloway MMA Stats

  • Age: 33
  • Height: 5' 11"
  • Reach: 69 in
  • Total fights: 34
  • Record: 26-8-0

Dustin Poirier MMA stats

  • Age: 36
  • Height: 5' 9"
  • Reach: 72 in
  • Total fights: 40
  • Record: 30-9-0 (1 NC)
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