Dustin Poirier was not interested in fighting Max Holloway again.
On July 19, ‘The Diamond’ will step inside the Octagon for the final time when he meets ‘Blessed’ for the BMF title at UFC 318 in New Orleans.
Though Poirier has already beaten Holloway on two separate occasions inside the Octagon, fans still welcomed the scrap with open arms. However, Poirier wasn’t quite as welcoming.
During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Poirier revealed that he’d been pushing hard for a trilogy fight with Justin Gaethje, noting that the two of them are tied 1-1.
When the UFC nixed that idea, Poirier lobbied for a showdown with former featherweight king Ilia Topuria. Unfortunately, ‘El Matador’ was already plotting a move to lightweight on the condition of a guaranteed title opportunity.
With options running low, the UFC ultimately booked Poirier vs. Holloway 3, with ‘Blessed’ putting his bragging rights belt on the line.
“I was asking Hunter [Campbell] for Gaethje, because we’re 1-1 I wanted to close out that trilogy,” Poirier said. “For some reason they really wanted this fight. That’s cool because I respect [Max] for my last fight…When [Ilia] said he was going to 155, I texted the UFC and said ‘Hey, let me know what’s going on with this guy. ’ But they never entertained it, they told me it’s not happening and they wanted Max.”
Dustin Poirier’s history with Holloway goes back more than a decade
On paper, Poirier vs. Gaethje 3 makes a lot more sense, but in all likelihood, the UFC wants to give Poirier an opportunity to retire with a title, even if it’s a made-up belt that doesn’t really amount to anything.
Poirier’s first meeting with Holloway came all the way back at UFC 143 in 2012. On that night, ‘The Diamond’ scored a quick-fire submission victory, forcing ‘Blessed’ to tap out due to a triangle armbar at the 3:23 mark of the opening round.
They’d run it back seven years later for the interim lightweight championship at UFC 236. This time, it took Poirier all five rounds, but the result remained the same, giving ‘The Diamond’ a 2-0 record against the Hawaiian.
Fast forward another six years, and they’ll do it again for the third and final time.
