Dustin Poirier denies Max Holloway’s most legendary performance in the UFC

Holloway’s lights haven’t gone out yet, but few have truly defeated the former featherweight champion in 33 fights, most notably Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier in two fights at lightweight.

Holloway was dropped by Gaethje in the fourth round of their fight at UFC 300, but the knockdown went unnoticed in official statistics and was likely overlooked as a blip, preserving Holloway’s history of never being knocked down. Holloway himself said he was dropped after the fight and found it strange that it wasn’t a knockdown.

However, this isn’t the only time Holloway got a little shaken up as Dustin Poirier put Holloway on skates multiple times in their rematch at UFC 236, with Holloway barely staying on his feet at one point with the help of the cage.

“This is a blast,” Poirier emphasized during a replay ESPN. “It was a safety net. They didn’t call it a knockdown. I was the first to put him down.”

Poirer would still take home the unanimous decision victory and his first and only championship, the interim lightweight title in 2019. Holloway survived the fierce attack, held his own and had his own moments over five rounds of action.

“He’s cool in the eye of the storm,” Poirier said of his former opponent Holloway. “He’s cool in these firefights. He has so much experience and he believes so much in himself, but also in his perseverance, the guy can do it. You can’t train for that, it’s just God-given endurance.”

We’ll see how that Rocky-like durability continues in his return to 145 pounds, where “Blessed” Holloway takes on UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, who touts having the best boxing in the entire promotion.

Max Holloway promises Ilia Topuria will ‘bleed red, just like me’