Preview: UFC 318 Brings Fight of the Year Candidates to New Orleans

The octagon returns to New Orleans this weekend for another exciting pay-per-view card. And while UFC 318 may not feature any championship bouts, it does include some very exciting matchups that could very well be Fight of the Year candidates in just a few months.

Perennial lightweight contenders will meet for the third time in a main event that promises to be another instant classic. Plus, middleweight contenders will look to vault themselves into the title conversation and welterweight contenders will be looking to put on a show.

Welterweight bout: Kevin Holland vs. Daniel Rodriguez

Kevin Holland has been red hot since dropping back down to welterweight, winning his last two bouts over Gunnar Nelson and Vicente Luque. Now with the number-13 ranking next to his name, he will look to prove he is a true contender in this division. Holland sports a 28-13 record with 14 knockouts and has been one of the most popular fighters in the sport for some time now. His antics have earned him a lot of fans and he backs them up with some serious knockout power and a strong grappling game. A win here would be big for both his momentum and his ranking in this class.

Standing in his way is Daniel Rodriguez who is coming off of back-to-back wins, including a knockout of Santiago Pnzinibbio back in May. Rodriguez comes in with a 19-5 record with nine knockouts and seems to have found a groove after dropping three in a row. Now, he’ll face one of his toughest challenges to date, potentially with a spot in the top 15 on the line. Rodriguez is likely going to have to keep his distance and look to out strike Holland to pick up a victory here.

My pick: Holland via 2nd round submission

Middleweight bout: Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov

Paulo Costa has faced off against some of the best in the world in the middleweight division, including four former champions. And that’s just in his last five fights. Unfortunately for the UFC veteran, he has posted just a 1-4 record in those five fights, bringing his overall record to 14-4. Still, Costa is a dangerous opponent for anyone, as is evidenced by his 11 career knockout victories. And now, looking to avoid a three-fight losing skid, Costa’s back is against the wall, making him more dangerous than ever.

Of course, when you’re talking about dangerous fighters, Roman Kopylov is certainly in that conversation. The 14th-ranked middleweight contender boasts a 14-3 record with 12 knockouts, including one in his most recent outing against Chris Curtis. Kopylov is on the opposite side of momentum as he is looking to score his third straight victory and continue to climb the middleweight rankings. With both of these guys having explosive power in their hands, a highlight reel knockout could be in the cards here. However, between the two of them, they have only suffered a total of one knockout loss. Something has to give.

My pick: Kopylov via 3rd round knockout

Lightweight bout: Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier

No surprise here: the UFC’s lightweight division is loaded with talent. After Illia Topuria claimed the crown last month, the top of this division remains stacked with some of the best fighters in the world, even with Islam Makhachev moving up to welterweight. And two of the top guys in this class will be squaring off for a third time in this main event.

Max Holloway has come a long way since his first two meetings with Dustin Poirier, both of which he lost. The former featherweight champ scored one of the most memorable knockouts in UFC history against Justin Gaethje last year, before suffering a knockout loss to Topuria. It all adds up to a very impressive 26-8 record with 12 knockouts and a reputation that likely reserves him a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame in the future. Holloway is a prolific striker but also a dangerous grappler. He tends to have an advantage wherever the fight takes him, making him a very difficult opponent for anyone. Now, he’ll be looking to avenge two of his eight career losses, so expect him to be as motivated as ever.

Poirier has become a UFC headliner since his brief feud with Conor McGregor back in 2021. Since then, he has hacked off against the likes of Charles Oliveira, Michael Chandler, Justin Gaethje, Benoit St. Denis and the aforementioned Makhachev. That is an incredibly tough stretch of fights for anyone and it has added up to just a 2-3 record for Poirier. That stretch has brought his overall record to 30-9 with 15 knockout wins. Poirier remains one of the best and most well rounded fighters in the world. His toughness and willingness to compete wherever the fight takes him make him both a very tough out and one of the most fun fighters to watch. This should be a wildly entertaining fight that could deliver a very memorable moment.

My pick: Holloway via 4th round knockout

UFC 318 will be held Saturday, July 19 at 10 PM ET. ESPN+ subscribers can order the pay per view for $79.99.