The UFC is headed to New Orleans for a massive 14 fight card for UFC 318! With such exciting match ups on the card, fight fans are in for a treat tonight for the big PPV.
Surprisingly enough the UFC saw a clean weigh in for all 28 fighters yesterday. All bouts were made official and UFC 318 is set to kick off tonight with no drama of a weight miss!
Headlined by the home town kid’s retirement fight, fans will see the third installment of Dustin Poirier vs Max Holloway. Fitting of the match up, the bout will be for the BMF Championship Belt!
Fans also are excited for the return of Paulo Costa who will be taking on Roman Kopylov in the Co – Main Event. The fight is sure to be fireworks with both fighters primarily dedicated to the striking game.
Will we See Costa Get Back in the Win Column? Will We see Dustin Poirier go out on top with the BMF belt in his home state? It all goes down tonight at UFC 318 live from the Smoothie King Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana!
I have created this UFC 317 Best Bets guide to provide deeper analysis on some of the big fights & provide our readers here at Betting News with the best gambling experience possible for UFC 317. Lines are moving, money is coming in and there is less then 24 hours to get our bets in so lets dive into it!
All betting odds are presented by BetOnline.ag as of 7/19/2025 at 11 a.m.
Check out the odds for the entire card at the best online sportsbooks available in the U.S.
UFC 318 Main Event: Max Holloway vs Dustin Poirier 3 Analysis, Best Bet, & Prediction
Max Holloway & Dustin Poirier Embrace After A Hard Fought Battle
UFC fans across the globe are highly anticipating the third installment to Max Holloway vs Dustin Poirier Saturday night. The pair will square off one final time with Poirier holding wins in the first 2 match ups by submission and decision.
Max Holloway has made many improvements since the last match up over 6 years ago. Despite his 6-4 record in that span, he has fought the best of the best including multiple title fights.
The losses came in his biggest fights, 3x to Volkanovski and most recently losing his title fight vs Topuria. These losses arent exactly a reflection of his skills at this point, due to the greatness of both opponents.
In the majority of his career Holloway has found great success in the striking department. The self proclaimed “best boxer in the UFC” has been able to land with an impressive amount of volume.
Holloway has made great improvements in his movement and distance control as well. Often keeping his opponents at a distance where he is able double and sometimes triple up his strikes.
Will Holloway Get Back In The Win Column?
Durability has become an important part of Holloways skills through this run. Finding himself in many wars along the way, his chin passed every test up until his last fight with Topuria.
The legend and stardom of Holloway sky rocketed after UFC 300, where he won the BMF belt in dramatic fashion. Pointing to the matt and playing rock em sock em robots with Gaethje before finding the 2024 knockout of the year.
All though his chin finally gave out in his last fight, I do not believe it is cause for concern. Topuria has proven to have ungodly power at 155 lbs, never mind in the 145 lb division.
Before being Knocked out in that match up, he had great success and did not show any signs of slowing down due to age. At this point in his career and with this fight being at 155 lbs, I believe betters can trust Holloway’s durability more then ever.
The willingness to brawl it out with his opponents could be a huge problem for him in this match up with a striker as versatile as Poirier. With the BMF title on the line I expect Holloway to really put on a show for the fans here out of respect for Poirier’s retirement fight.
Louisiana’s Very Own Dustin Poirier Takes The Octagon 1 Final Time Saturday Night
Will Poirier End His Career On A High Note?
The UFC is pulling out all the stops to honor the legend Dustin Poirier. The likely hall of famer will take his final trip to the Octagon Saturday night for the BMF belt.
With Saturday night being his retirement fight, it is only right it ends in New Orleans. It will truly be a story line type finish to his career with a win over Holloway tonight.
It is surprising to many MMA fans that he is putting his gloves down this early. After all, he is coming off a title loss where he gave Islam Mahkachev one of his toughest fights to date.
In the fight Dustin showcased all of his skills while showing no signs of slowing down. For the most part his takedown defense held up, threatened many submissions and found success with his opportunities striking.
His performance showed me 2 things, his durability has not faded and his striking is still top notch. It is understandable why he wants to go out on his own terms due to his legendary career.
Dustin did not draw an easy match up in his retirement fight all though. Despite winning this fight twice previously, Max Holloway is not exactly the same fighter as 6 years ago.
Stylistically this is the fight Poirier wants though, as the two are likely to meet in the middle and swing it out. If both fighters oblige to the game plan, it is hard not to favor the home town kid just due to the power advantage alone.
It is hard for bettors to go against the hometown kid in a match up he has already won twice. I believe Dustin Poirier will go out on a high note and retire as the BMF champion of the UFC.
Main Event: Max Holloway vs Dustin Poirier 3 Prediction: Dustin Poirier Wins (+110) at BetOnline
Main Event: Max Holloway vs Dustin Poirier 3 Best Bet: Dustin Poirier Moneyline (+110) at BetOnline
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UFC 318 Co – Main Event: Paulo Costa vs Roman Kopylov Analysis, Best Bet, & Prediction
Exciting Co – Main Event Of UFC 318
MMA Fans are highly anticipating the violent Co – Main event of UFC 318. Roman Kopylov looks to continue his momentum of a big KO victory into his match up with Paulo Costa.
Kopylov is a talented striker fighting out of Russia. The rare instance of a non – Wrestler coming out of Russia.
His striking skills is what has garnered his hype under the UFC banner. Often going to wars with fighters he has also accumulated 5 KO victories in his UFC tenure.
In his last fight his durability and sheer will to win shined through. Going to war with Chris Curtis until eventually finding the KO in the final seconds of the fight.
Despite not being much of an offensive grappler himself, he has shown great defensive grappling skills. Sporting an impressive 87% takedown defense while defending 25 of 27 takedowns attempted.
The cardio part of MMA does not seem to be his strong suit or something he’s ever made improvements in. Often gasping for air or with his hands on his knees , literally, in the second round of his fights.
Even with the cardio being an issue he has somehow made it all 3 rounds twice in his career. These fights are where he has shown his heart, determination, and will to not give up.
With his current resume, I do not believe he has fought the best level of competition in the UFC. Some betters should be weary backing the striker against a power puncher with the resume of Paulo Costa.
The Middleweight Veteran Looks To Right The Ship At UFC 318
Will Paulo Costa Get Back In The Win Column Saturday Night?
Paulo Costa is a Veteran of the UFC with an impressive resume of previous fights. Often causing distractions and problems with the UFC brass, many fans are left to speculate just how serious Costa is about his career.
On a tough run as of late as well, Costa is just 1-4 in his last 5 fights. At base value it looks as if the Brazilian has taken a step back, until you look into the type of fighters he is fighting.
It is understandable why he is on this skid, fighting big names like Strictland, Adesanya, Whittaker, and Vettori. He has not been losing to any lower competition, he is losing to the best of the best at Middleweight.
I do not believe the recent success has anything to do with his skillset. I believe it has everything to do with motivation, and level of competition.
Costa is a top level fighter with big power in his hands and ability to get into boxing range. He has picked up 4 exciting knockout wins in his UFC tenure, over some great fighters none the less.
The durability has been a massive advantage in his game. Often being able to take a lot of damage in order to inflict his own.
Within his 18 fight career he has only been finished 1 time, with that fight being 5 rounds. In a span of a 3 round fight, I absolutely believe Costa’s chin will hold up against anyone in the middleweight division.
All through out this fight week, Costa has shown his level of commitment and ambition within the UFC. During all his interviews he seemed focused, dealing with no antics or drama, and more ambitious then he has in many years.
Tonight will be a step down in competition for Costa and I believe some fans are forgetting just how good Costa really is. I see a lot of value in this betting line based on recent bias.
If bettors get a focused and prepared Paulo Costa, I believe he could show his true potential in this fight.
Co – Main Event: Paulo Costa vs Roman Kopylov Prediction: Paulo Costa Wins By KO (+450) at BetOnline
CO – Main Event: Paulo Costa vs Roman Kopylov Best Bet: Paulo Costa Moneyline (+190) at BetOnline
UFC 318 Schedule & FAQ
When is UFC 318?
- UFC 318 will take place Saturday, July 19, 2025.
Where is UFC 318?
- UFC 318 will go down live at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
What time does UFC 318 start?
- UFC 318 Preliminary Card start time: 6:30 p.m. ET
- UFC 318 Main Card start time: 10 p.m. ET
How to Watch UFC 318?
- UFC 318 Preliminary Card Coverage: ESPN+
- UFC 318 Coverage: ESPN+
How to Bet on UFC 318?
Most international and domestic sportsbooks will carry odds for a fight card of this caliber but click here for some sites and applications us bettors here at Betting News recommend for a great UFC betting experience.
If one thing is for sure, Saturday’s card is sure to bring the action. I hope this betting guide helps bring more context to your UFC entertainment experience.
If you want my full card of bets, tune into the Violence Report on our network on Twitch every Saturday, or for more gambling content like this make sure to follow me on X or Betting News on all platforms!
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