Holloway was not intimidated, however, as he stood up to Poirier in front of the hostile crowd. "Blessed" will need to overcome that element at UFC 318 in addition to trying to avenge a submission loss to Poirier at UFC 143 in February 2012 and a unanimous decision defeat in the rematch at UFC 236 in April 2019.

At this point in his career, what more is there to be said about Max Holloway? The man is a former champion, a first-ballot Hall of Famer, owns a number of UFC records, and he’s still only 33 years old.

Ahead of the UFC fight in New Orleans, Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway squared off in an adrenaline-filled Smoothie King Center, exchanging subtle smirks before they meet in the cage.