UFC 318 Start Time, Full Fight Card Details!

Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Zuffa LLC

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to the pay-per-view (PPV) market later TONIGHT (Sat., July 19, 2025) with UFC 318 from inside Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, La., rounding out an action-packed day of fights that includes “Usyk vs Dubois 2,” PFL Africa and the return of Manny Pacquiao vs. Mario Barrios.

UFC 318 will feature a “BMF” title fight between Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway in what will mark the retirement bout for “The Diamond.” In the co-main event of the ESPN+-streamed

event, Paulo Costa will battle Roman Kopylov in a Middleweight affair.

What’s Hot:

After 15 years of pouring his heart into the iconic Octagon, Poirier is poised to make his final walk to the cage against a familiar foe, Holloway, in front of his hometown crowd where his mixed martial arts (MMA) journey began. The two veterans first clashed at UFC 143 back in 2012 — Holloway’s Octagon debut — where Poirier secured a submission victory. Seven years later, at UFC 236, Poirier defeated “Blessed” again to claim the interim Lightweight title.

Now, they meet for a third and final chapter.

Poirier enters off a loss to former 155-pound kingpin, Islam Makhachev, more than one year ago, his third defeat in five fights and his third failed bid for the undisputed Lightweight crown. Despite never capturing the undisputed title, “The Diamond” remains one of UFC’s most beloved fighters, and his absence will be deeply felt.

And a trilogy sweep over Holloway would be the perfect capstone to his storied career.

Holloway, while holding immense respect for Poirier, is determined to spoil his farewell. Eager to avenge his past losses, “Blessed” also seeks to erase the sting of his recent knockout defeat to current 155-pound champion Ilia Topuria. Though nearing the twilight of his career, “Blessed” shows no signs of slowing down, still chasing UFC gold. With Alexander Volkanovski back atop the 145-pound division and Topuria ruling the 155-pound roost, Holloway’s path to a title is steep, but a win over Poirier would be a massive step forward. This clash promises to be an electrifying war, and with Poirier vowing to leave it all in the cage for his final fight, Holloway is the ideal opponent to ensure a thrilling showdown that fans won’t soon forget.

What’s Not:

Vinicius Oliveira is currently on a five-fight win streak, which includes winning his first three fights inside the Octagon. He was last seen defeating Said Nurmagomedov, which was an impressive win to say the least. That’s the reason it bothers me that UFC matchmakers put him up against Kyler Phillips, who is coming into the fight with a loss. I would’ve preferred if matchmakers paired him up with someone coming in with more momentum.

Original Card Vs. Actual Card:

Amanda Ribas vs. Tabatha Ricci were in line to face off at this event in a women’s Flyweight bout before the promotion opted to reschedule it for a later date. They will now fight at UFC Abu Dhabi later this month (July 26, 2025).

Injuries:

Ikram Aliskerov vs. Brunno Ferreira were scheduled for this event before Aliskerov withdrew from the fight because of a broken toe. He was replaced by promotional newcomer, Jackson McVey. Also, Gunnar Nelson was set to face Neil Magny on this card before he was forced out of the fight with a hamstring injury. As a result, Magny has since been booked to face Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos on Aug. 2, 2025.

New Blood:

Islam Dulatov will bring his impressive 11-1 record to the Octagon for the first time to face Adam Fugitt. “The Ripper” earned his way to the big show thanks to a first round knockout win on the Contender Series, which was his eleventh straight stoppage win. His monstrous run began after he lost his MMA debut in 2019 and he hasn’t looked back since. As for Fugitt, he is coming off a split decision win over Josh Quinlan, his first victory in two years.

McVey steps in on short notice for his UFC debut to face Ferreira with Aliskerov out of the mix. “The Moose” is undefeated (6-0), finishing all six of his opponents in the first round. He will have a tall task to say the least attempting to do that to Ferreira, who is coming off a submission win of his own over Armen Petrosyan (see it here).

How The ‘Prelims’ Look:

There are a lot of struggling fighters on this card, including Marvin Vettori vs. Brendan Allen, who will finally get the chance to settle their long-standing beef. And they both need a win badly here because Vettori — a former title challenger — has lost two straight and three of his last four. Allen, meanwhile, has really cooled off by losing two straight, which was preceded by an impressive seven-fight win streak. Still, this should be a great bout since they have been wanting to get their hands on each other ... legally.

Francisco Prado is just 1-3 inside the Octagon and is currently the not-so-proud owner of a two-fight losing streak. His opponent, Nikolay Veretennikov, is 0-2 in his first two attempts, so he is also hungry for a win because a third straight loss to kick off your UFC career will not look good to the higher-ups.

Ateba Gautier vs. Robert Valentin will kick off the main “Prelims” card in a Middleweight affair. Gautier is on a six-fight win streak and made good on his debut by knocking out Jose Medina in the first round. Valentin, meanwhile, is winless (0-2) under UFC’s banner, so he needs a win the worst way to prevent getting cut.

Both Ryan Spann and Lukasz Brzeski need a win in an attempt to secure their respective spots on the bloated UFC roster as they get set to collide in a Heavyweight affair. Spann is 1-4 in his last five fights and came up short in his 265-pound debut in his last outing against Waldo Cortes-Acosta, losing via technical knockout (see it again here). As for Brzeski, he is currently on a two-fight skid — both first-round stoppages — and is 1-5 in his last six outings. The loser of this fight could get his pink slip.

Kicking off the card will be a women’s Flyweight fight between Carli Judice vs. Nicolle Caliari. Judice is coming off her first win inside the Octagon over Yuneisy Duben after initially stumbling out of the gates against Gabriella Fernandes. As for Caliari, she came up short in her own UFC debut, as well, losing to Ernesta Kareckaite via split decision earlier this year.

Who Needs A Win Badly:

Jimmy Crute needs a win in the worst way since he has not had his hand raised in his last five outings, losing three and then fighting to a draw against Alonzo Menifield and Rodolfo Bellato. His last win came over five years ago, so if he doesn’t secure one against Marcin Prachnio — who is coming off a loss to Modestas Bukauskas and is just 2-3 in his last five — it could be the end of the road for him inside the Octagon.

Interest Level: 8.5/10

Paulo Costa is yet another fighter in desperate need of a win on this card. “Borrachinha” is 1-4 in his last five fights and has lost two in a row. His lone win during that span came against Luke Rockhold ... three years ago. Now, Costa will attempt to find that winning feeling once more, though it will be a tough task against Roman Kopylov, who is 6-1 in his last seven fights. A win over the former Middleweight title contender could be what catapults Kopylov to the next level. For Costa, another defeat will put him at a major crossroads in his career, though retirement is not likely.

The always-entertaining but inconsistent Kevin Holland will make his return to action a little over a month after submitting Vicente Luque at UFC 316 (highlights). Currently on a two-fight win streak, “Trailblazer” has a chance to lock down his first three-fight win streak in five years against Daniel Rodriguez. Speaking of which, “D-Rod” has really turned it around after suffering a horrible three-fight skid from 2022 to 2024 by winning his last two bouts. This is another fun matchup that is an early favorite for a post-fight bonus.

Patricio Pitbull will get a second chance to make a first impression after coming up short in his UFC debut against Yair Rodriguez earlier this year (recap here). The loss brought the former Bellator MMA Featherweight and Lightweight champion of the world to 1-3 in his last four, which makes many wonder if he’s got much left in the tank. He will have the chance to prove he does when he goes up against Dan Ige, the hard-hitting 145-pounder who is coming off a win over Sean Woodson.

Daniel Zellhuber saw his four-fight win streak go out the window last September after going toe-to-toe against Esteban Ribovics at “Noche UFC” in what truly was a great bout. The Mexican standout will now attempt to get back on track against longtime veteran, Michael Johnson, who is currently riding a two-fight win streak. Johnson and Zellhuber have similar styles, a stand-and-bang approach that fight fans always love. This one could steal the show.

Enjoy the fights!

Full UFC 318 Fight Card:

UFC 318 Main Event on ESPN+ PPV:

155 lbs.: BMF Champion Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier

UFC 318 Main Card on ESPN+ PPV (10 p.m. ET):

185 lbs.: Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov
170 lbs.: Kevin Holland vs. Daniel Rodriguez
155 lbs.: Dan Ige vs. Patricio Pitbull
155 lbs.: Michael Johnson vs. Daniel Zellhuber

UFC 318 ‘Prelims’ Card on ESPN/ESPN+ (8 p.m. ET):

135 lbs.: Kyler Phillips vs. Vinicius Oliveira
185 lbs.: Marvin Vettori vs. Brendan Allen
170 lbs.: Francisco Prado vs. Nikolay Veretennikov
185 lbs.: Ateba Gautier vs. Robert Valentin

UFC 318 Early ‘Prelims’ Card on ESPN+ (6:15 p.m. ET):

170 lbs.: Adam Fugitt vs. Islam Dulatov
205 lbs.: Jimmy Crute vs. Marcin Prachnio
265 lbs.: Ryan Spann vs. Lukasz Brzeski
185 lbs.: Brunno Ferreira vs. Jackson McVey
125 lbs.: Carli Judice vs. Nicolle Caliari

*Fight card, bout order and number of fights remain subject to change.*

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Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 318 fight card right here, starting with the ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:15 p.m. ET, before the main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

To checkout the latest and greatest UFC 318: “Holloway vs. Poirier 3” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

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