UFC 318 went down last night (Sat., July 19, 2025) from inside Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, La., which saw Max Holloway spoil Dustin Poirier
’s retirement party, defeating him via unanimous decision (highlights). In the co-headlining act, Paulo Costa secured a much-needed win by defeating Roman Kopylov, also via unanimous decision, while Patricio Pitbull was able to lock down his first win inside the Octagon by defeating Dan Ige./cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26062170/2226082305.jpg)
Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLCWinner: Max Holloway
Who He Should Face Next: Charles Oliveira
“Blessed” was able to get back into the win column following
his knockout loss to Ilia Topuria by sending Poirier into retirement with a loss. Holloway has his sights set on a rematch with “El Matador,” but that simply isn’t in the cards at the moment, though one more victory could do the trick. And if that win comes against Oliveira, it could expedite his shot at redemption against Topuria. Oliveira, of course, came up short in his bid to dethrone Topuria at UFC 317, so he would love nothing more than a chance to get back into the win column against a former world champion.
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Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLCWinner: Paulo Costa
Who He Should Face Next: Brendan Allen
Costa was able to lock down a much-needed win, snapping his two-fight skid by defeating Roman Kopylov via unanimous decision. The hulking Brazilian has his sights sets on Khamzat Chimaev for his own personal reasons, but “Borz” has bigger fish to fry at the moment. I wouldn’t mind seeing a fight against Allen, though, as he also snapped his two-fight skid by defeating Marvin Vettori on the undercard.
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Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLCWinner: Daniel Rodriguez
Who He Should Face Next: Gabriel Bonfim
Rodriguez secured his third straight win after defeating Kevin Holland via unanimous decision, setting him up for a potential spot in the Top 15. A fight against Bonfim sounds appealing since “Marretinha” also just recently locked down his own spot in the Top 15 following his win over Stephen Thompson. He is also on a three-fight win streak, so this fight makes sense.
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Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLCWinner: Patricio Pitbull
Who He Should Face Next: Josh Emmett
Pitbull can breathe a sigh of relief after managing to land his first win inside the Octagon after out-scoring a very game Dan Ige. The former Bellator MMA champion showed he still has plenty left in the old gas tank, and that he can be a problem for anyone standing in front of him. Since Ige was ranked No. 11, Pitbull can expect a spot in the Top 15. A fight against Emmett might be reasonable seeing as how the hard-hitting Featherweight is currently ranked No. 8. That said, Emmett is coming off a loss at the hands of Lerone Murphy, and is 1-3 in his last four.
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Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLCWinner: Michael Johnson
Who He Should Face Next: Terrence McKinney
Johnson was able to pull off a big upset and defeat Daniel Zellhuber via unanimous decision as a big underdog. That is now three straight wins for “The Menace,” and I wouldn’t mind seeing him face off against McKinney next. McKinney was last seen defeating Viacheslav Borshchev at UFC 317, his second straight win. He is 4-1 in his last five fights so, like Johnson, he is really finding a groove.
For complete UFC 318 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.
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