UFC 318 was the first time the promotion had been to the great southern state of Louisiana in 10 years. The occasion? The retirement of one of the best to ever do it, former interim lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier.
In the main event the ‘The Diamond’ concluded his trilogy with Max Holloway in an epic five round battle for the BMF strap. In the co-main event, two ranked middleweights threw down, as former 185lbs. title challenger, Paulo Costa, faced off against Roman Kopylov. Six of the nine fights on the undercard ended with a finish while all of the five-fight main card bouts went the distance. Some of the most notable names from the Contender Series grace this special edition of our losers matchmaking piece.
Dustin Poirier
Max Holloway spoiled Dustin Poirier’s special last night in the octagon after a long storied career in the main event of UFC 318, Saturday. Poirier had long since announced that the bout would be his last, and specifically selected Max to finish the pair’s trilogy for the occasion. Dustin ends his pro MMA career at 22-9, 1 NC with the UFC. Poirier had lost three of his last four fights including a title shot against Islam Makhachev at UFC 302. Saturday marks the first time that Poirier has ever lost two bouts in a row in his MMA career. Happy Retirement to the legend.
Poirier’s next fight: Retirement
Roman Kopylov
Paulo Costa bested Roman Kopylov over the course of three rounds to secure a crucial victory in the co main event of UFC 318, Saturday. The loss snapped Kopylov’s two fight win streak and is only the second fight he’s lost in 8 fights. Roman entered the fight ranked at #14 in the middleweight division while his opponent was ranked at #13.
Kopylov shouldn’t look far for his next fight, a good opponent would be Marvin Vettori. Marvin fought Brendan Allen on the undercard of UFC 318 losing the heated battle via unanimous decision. Marvin is currently ranked at #10 in the middleweight division but is sure to slide a little once they are updated. The loss marked Vettori’s third straight unanimous decision loss (Jared Cannonier, Roman Dolidze and Brendan Allen). This one would be a good one for the division as Costa is now a mutual opponent for the pair. Could see this fight being on the main card of a PPV or a fight night card.
Kopylov’s next fight: Marvin Vettori
Kevin Holland
Kevin Holland was out-gunned and defeated in a wild war with Daniel Rodriguez on Saturday. Holland started the night off ranked at #13 in the welterweight division while D-Rod was unranked. Kevin has now gone 2-1 since moving back down to welterweight after his January loss to Reinier de Ridder. Holland has faced seemingly everyone so finding a matchup for him may be a little tricky.
For Kevin’s next fight he should definitely remain at welterweight and face the winner of Muslim Salikhov vs Carlos Leal.
That bout goes down on July 26th so the timing would be perfect. Carlos is 1-1 since being signed to the UFC in October 2024. He lost in his debut to Rinat Fakhretdinov and in his most recent bout, finished Alex Morono in the first round. Salikhov is 8-4 within the UFC and riding a 2-fight win steak. In his most recent bout, he earned a performance bonus for his first round KO of Kenan Song back in November of 2024. Kevin could draw a 41-year-old vet or a new face to the division over 10 years younger. Both men are strikers, but both pose different threats. Muslim has flashy kicks and Leal’s hands are lethal. Winner would be a fitting matchup for Kevin especially if he somehow slides out of the rankings at welterweight.
Holland’s next fight: Winner of Muslim Salikhov vs Carlos Leal
Dan Ige
Former Bellator champion, Patricio Pitbull, finally found his groove as he snagged a unanimous decision victory over Dan Ige on Saturday. Ige entered the fight ranked at #11 in the featherweight division while Pitbull was unranked. Dan has now lost three of his last four fights though they have all been decisions to elite competition (Diego Lopes, Lerone Murphy, Patricio Pitbull). Ige’s lone win in this stretch was against Sean Woodson back in April.
For his next fight, Dan Ige should square off against Giga Chikadze. Ige faced a 6’3″ fighter then a 5’6″ fighter, let’s give him another taller guy. Giga is ranked at #14 within UFC‘s featherweight division. Chikadze has also lost three of his last four fights. Though it’s worth noting that Giga is on a two-fight skid since returning from a couple of injuries. Giga was featured on losers back in April and still doesn’t have a bout, so this is a matchup that makes sense. Giga did miss weight his last time out, but the 6’0″ fighter will likely stay in the weight class.
Ige’s next fight: Giga Chikadze
Daniel Zellhuber
Michael Johnson turned back the hands of time, defeating Daniel Zellhuber to open up the main card of UFC 318. With the loss Zellhuber is now on a two-fight skid since starting his UFC career at 3-1 off receiving a contract on the 2021 season of the Contender Series.
For his next fight, Daniel should take on Jordan Leavitt. Jordan is also a veteran of the Contender Series as well and is 5-3 within the promotion. Leavitt is a grappling specialist and last competed at the end of May taking 99 seconds to submit Kurt Holobaugh. The slick sub earned Jordan a performance bonus. This matchup would offer a classic grappler vs striker matchup which changes up what Zellhuber has faced in his past couple. Regardless, this fight has real stakes attached as the winner would move up heavily in visibility within the division. High probability of this matchup being fight of the night material too as both guys have yet to be in boring fights.
Daniel’s next fight: Jordan Leavitt
