After UFC 317 provided one of the events of the year, the Smoothie King Center prepares to host a night full of action.
What makes this PPV so prestigious is that Dustin Poirier fights for the last time in the Octagon.
‘The Diamond’ will have his last dance against former UFC Featherweight Champion, Max Holloway, for the BMF title.
With the headliner being heavily focused on by MMA fans, the main card has been gaining less attention.
Here are the four other fights on the PPV that you should keep an eye on before the main event commences.
Dan Ige vs Patricio Pitbull
A battle which brings a lot of excitement in the Featherweight division as Ige defends his #12 ranking against Pitbull.
The 145-pound contender redeemed his two-fight losing streak with a third-round TKO win against Sean Woodson at UFC 314.
Ige became a fan favourite in the MMA community when he took on Diego Lopes on just four hours’ notice.
The Hawaiian makes his fourth consecutive appearance in a PPV event and aims to maintain his position in the rankings.
’50k’ believes the bout will be a great watch for fans and should be seen as a top-five fight.
Pitbull made his UFC debut at the same time Ige became victorious in the Kaseya Center in Miami.
But the former two-division Bellator Champion was defeated by Yair Rodriguez, losing by unanimous decision.
The Brazilian held iconic wins in his multiple championship reigns in Bellator, beating the likes of Michael Chandler, Daniel Straus and Daniel Weichel.
Pitbull is a threat on the feet and ground, winning 13 of his fights by KO/TKO and 11 by submission.
After a disappointing performance in his last contest, the Mossoro-born fighter will want to take the chance this time to enter the 145-pound rankings.
Ateba Gautier vs Robert Valentin
A Middleweight bout which will be unknown to some UFC fans, but these fighters have the chance to make a name for themselves at UFC 318.
Gautier made his debut for the organisation at UFC Mexico City, knocking out Jose Daniel Medina in the first round.
‘The Silent Assassin’ earned his contract in the UFC through Dana White’s Contender Series back in September last year.
The Cameroonians’ last six fights have all ended by knockout, with five of those being stopped in round one.
Gautier is looking like a promising prospect in the UFC, and another knockout win could put him as the next future star at 185 pounds.
Valentin is yet to triumph in the UFC after losing his last battle to Torrez Finney by split decision at UFC Vegas 105.
The Swiss Middleweight made his way into the UFC, despite losing the The Ultimate Fighter Finale against Ryan Loder in August 2024.
Compared to his opponent, ‘Robzilla’ is more of a submission artist, holding seven submission wins out of 11 MMA victories.
Still in search of his first UFC win, Valentin has a great opportunity to defeat a big prospect of the organisation.
Paulo Costa vs Roman Kopylov
What was supposed to happen at UFC 317 now takes place in Louisiana as two knockout artists square off in a fiery matchup.
Costa hasn’t fought in over a year since his split decision defeat to Sean Strickland at UFC 302.
‘The Eraser’ entered the UFC undefeated and went on a triumphant run of five fights before earning a title shot against Israel Adesanya.
The Brazilian has gone the distance far more recently in his career, but 11 of his 14 victories in MMA have ended by KO/TKO.
Not to forget that the #12 contender has been in some exciting battles with the likes of Luke Rockhold and Yoel Romero.
With only one win in his last five bouts, Costa is in desperate need of redemption as another loss could put him out of the Middleweight rankings.
Kopylov began his winning streak in the organisation when he earned a very late knockout win against Chris Curtis at UFC Vegas 101.
Before his submission loss to Anthony Hernandez, the Russian went on an incredible run of four consecutive KO/TKO victories.
The Shchebzavod-born fighter is a showman on the feet with 12 of his 14 wins ending by knockout.
His most noticeable KO win came against Claudio Ribeiro at UFC 291, landing a thunderous head kick in round two.
Kopylov has a great opportunity to defeat a long-serving contender of the division and move up the 185-pound rankings.
Michael Johnson vs Daniel Zellhuber
A thrilling way to start UFC 318 as two exciting Lightweights are expected to deliver.
Johnson earned his second consecutive win at UFC Tampa after a fascinating second-round knockout against Ottman Azaitar.
The 39-year-old has faced some of the biggest names in the UFC, including Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje and Nate Diaz.
Not forgetting that he does hold a victory over Poirier, which happened back in September 2016, knocking him out in the first round.
The 155-pound veteran is looking to take out the next potential stars of the organisation as he’ll try to increase his winning streak to three.
Zellhuber last fought in what was a Fight of the Year contender in 2024, losing to Esteban Ribovics by split decision at UFC 306.
The ‘Golden Boy’ has fought five times in the organisation, winning three of his battles, as he has not been victorious since February 2024.
The Mexican has earned 15 professional wins in his MMA career, with seven ending by KO/TKO and three by submission.
After such a wild battle in his last bout, Zellhuber will hope to do the same for the New Orleans fans but end the fight as triumphant.
