Max Holloway is ready to retire Dustin Poirier at UFC 318. The duo already has a history, with ‘The Diamond’ winning two fights against ‘Blessed’. UFC 318 is Holloway’s last chance to claim a win over the Lafayette resident. But at the UFC 318 media day, Holloway revealed an unexpected expectation from the Louisiana crowd.
Instead of engaging in trash-talk, the BMF champion showcased his humble nature as he revealed his wish for Poirier’s ‘last dance’. But that pushed the fans to bring in his unrest with Ilia Topuria.
At the UFC 318 media day, Holloway said, “At the end of the day, when we go out there to do the walks, I was telling Daniel Cormier, ‘I hope my a– gets booed.’ This is his last dance, and he’s representing his home state—boo my a–. Because if we were in Hawaii, I’m pretty sure the Hawaiians would boo whoever I’m fighting against.” And that’s exactly what he received at the pre-fight press conference.
During the conference, the renowned MMA reporter, Mike Bohn, asked about the kind of fight Holloway was expecting come Saturday night. Holloway began to reply, “It’s gonna be a fun one, man. It’s his ‘last dance’. We’re expecting-” But he was cut short by boos from the crowd. It was as if they granted his wish.
He continued, “There are the boos. Bring on more of the boos, please. Give this man his respect. That’s what I like to hear. It’s gonna be a fun one, come Saturday night.”
Max getting booed
This is weird pic.twitter.com/USAj5qHyFi
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) July 17, 2025
Max Holloway seemed to have immense respect for his opponent. But the fighting community looked at it from a different perspective. After ‘Spinning Backfist’ shared the news on X, here’s what the fans commented.
Max Holloway’s tribute to Dustin Poirier ticks fans in the wrong way
During an interview with Stake not too long ago, Holloway claimed that Ilia Topuria isn’t really a power puncher. He recalled his fight against Justin Gaethje and said that ‘The Highlight’ punches harder than the current lightweight champion.
To make things worse, ‘Blessed’ even dismissed Topuria’s last three wins over Alexander Volkanovski, himself, and Charles Oliveira. He accused the UFC of lining legends past their prime up against Topuria for him to simply knocked them out. According to Holloway, ‘El Matador’ is just doing his job. But the fans weren’t pleased with Holloway’s stance regarding Topuria, the only man to have knocked him out.
One comment read, “Maybe because he’s been acting weird af and talking to the most random s—… I liked holloway, but it’s just been seeming like he’s begging for attention lately. Topuria obviously f—— hits hard, how could anyone possibly deny that?” Another fan commented, “This is what happens when you get viciously ko’d and talk shit on the man who did that to you.”
A few others pointed toward Holloway’s media day conversation regarding the boos. One fan commented, “To be fair, he literally asked for it.” Another fan wrote, “Solely out of respect, gotta love it.” Meanwhile, one more fan claimed, “No true MMA fan boos either of these guys.” Also, the fight is going to be held in Louisiana, Poirier’s home state. And some fans believed that that was the main reason for the boos.
One fan wrote, “He Is Louisiana what do u expect.” Another fan commented, “Almost like it’s Dustin’s hometown…” One more comment read, “Well he’s in DP hometown and he’s been whining and focusing on Ilia more than DP.” But what do you think? Why did the crowd boo Max Holloway at the UFC 318 pre-fight press conference?
The post Max Holloway Sparks Crowd Storm in Louisiana as Dustin Poirier Tribute Gets Tangled in Ilia Topuria Feud appeared first on EssentiallySports.
