“I did it against the Korean Zombie, and now I did it against Dustin.” Max Holloway summed up his emotions in a single line at the UFC 318 post-fight presser. ‘Blessed’ made history by becoming the first fighter to break the BMF curse, by defending it for the first time. But even after having the last laugh in one of the most anticipated trilogies ever, Holloway’s face told a deeper story. He nearly got too emotional while speaking about ‘The Diamond’, saying goodbye to the sport.

The former featherweight champion made sure not to steal the spotlight from Dustin Poirier during the octagon interview. Still, he took a brief moment to call out reigning lightweight champ Ilia Topuria for a potential rematch. It was clear that ‘Blessed’ is still chasing redemption after ‘El Matador’ became the first man to knock him out at UFC 308. But here’s the big question! Does a win over Poirier make that rematch possible? Well, it turns out Dana White isn’t opposed to the idea.

At the UFC 318 post-fight presser, the UFC head honcho stated, “He just defended that BMF title. He’s ranked number four in the world [at lightweight]. Anything is possible for Max right now.” That might’ve given Holloway a bit more reason to smile, knowing the UFC still sees him as a top contender. But even while sorting out his championship ambitions, ‘Blessed’ didn’t forget to thank the man he had the privilege of sharing the cage with for the third time. 

Holloway wrote on X, “It was an honor to share the octagon not once, not twice, but three times with this man. Thank you Dustin, for being a warrior in the cage and even a greater person out of it. The sport is gonna miss you. Enjoy your retirement! Paid in full! Diamonds are forever.” 

And that’s the other side of the most vicious fighters in the world. No matter how hard they tried to hurt each other for five rounds and 25 grueling minutes, the respect between them never faded. It’s always a wholesome sight for the fans. As expected, Poirier’s last dance with Holloway was nothing short of a roller coaster ride. But there was one thing Max didn’t like about the scrap—and it had nothing to do with punches or game plans. Let’s find out what it was.

Max Holloway is upset with Dana White over missing out on a bonus for the Dustin Poirier fight

UFC 318 delivered a mixed bag. Some fights truly delivered, while others fell a bit flat. The early prelims kicked off with a bang, boasting six straight finishes before Francisco Prado and Nikolay Veretennikov snapped the streak with a decision win. But the main event? That one lived up to the hype. Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier went to war, combining for a total of 307 strikes. Remarkably, all 109 of Poirier’s strikes were significant. While ‘Blessed’ racked up a staggering 198 significant strikes of his own.

So, Holloway was visibly livid when he found out that Dana White didn’t reward him and Dustin with the Fight of the Night bonus. At the UFC 318 post-fight presser, he didn’t hold back, saying, “I mean, I hope you guys gave your s–t to Dustin—I mean Dana! How the hell did we not get Fight of the Night, bro? What is he thinking, tho? Come on, Dana!”

The actual Fight of the Night honor went to the all-out war between Marvin Vettori and Brendan Allen. A grudge match that took place on the featured prelims. While the main event and the back-and-forth brawl between Kevin Holland and Daniel Rodriguez were also strong contenders, Dana White ultimately chose to award Vettori his third and Allen his first FOTN bonus.

With that being said, as Dustin Poirier officially bids farewell to MMA after over a decade of unforgettable wars, what do you think his retirement will look like? And as for Max Holloway. How do you see ‘Blessed’ navigating the lightweight waters from here? Let us know in the comments below!