Is Lil Wayne Walking out Louisiana Fighter Dustin Poirier for Retirement Fight at UFC 318?

Dustin Poirier unravels the truth about Lil Wayne appearing at UFC 318 for the veteran's swansong.

Is Lil Wayne Walking out Louisiana Fighter Dustin Poirier for Retirement Fight at UFC 318?

Dustin Poirier and Lil Wayne (via Imagn)

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At UFC 318, fight fans around the world will witness ‘The Diamond’ shine for the very last time as Dustin Poirier faces Max Holloway in his retirement bout for the coveted BMF title. To make the occasion more special, the PPV is set to take place at the Smoothie King Center in Poirier’s hometown of Louisiana.

With much excitement surrounding the event, it turns out that the lightweight veteran will not be the only Louisiana native to make the walk to the Octagon on 19 July. In a recent backstage interview with ESPN, Poirier confirmed what many fans had speculated since April: he will be making his final walk with legendary rapper Lil Wayne by his side.

[Lil] Wayne is walking me out. 100 percent!

Dustin Poirier via ESPN MMA

This moment will come full circle for the Lafayette native. Poirier began his UFC journey back in 2011, walking out to Wayne’s Drop the World. In recent years, his go-to track has been ‘The Boss‘ by James Brown. For his last Octagon entrance, Poirier revealed that he would combine both tracks.

It will be a little bit of James Brown, a little bit of Wayne. Yeah, Wayne’s walking out with me. I have to (stick with the James Brown song). I have paid the cost to be the boss. On my last one, I can’t go that far away from it. I need to hear that. I need to feel that vibe before I fight someone.

Dustin Poirier at UFC 318 Media day

Born and raised in Louisiana like Poirier, Lil Wayne has publicly supported the UFC veteran on numerous occasions. The walkout will no doubt be a memorable sendoff in front of a roaring hometown crowd. Moreover, UFC 318 will mark the third time Poirier and Holloway share the Octagon. Their rivalry dates back over a decade.

Their first fight took place in 2012 at UFC 143, where a 20-year-old Max Holloway made his UFC debut against Poirier, who submitted him in the first round. Their second battle came five years later in 2019 at UFC 236 when Holloway, the then-reigning featherweight champion, moved up to 155lbs on six-week notice to battle Poirier for the interim lightweight title.

Poirier won the bout by decision after five grueling rounds, capturing the only title of his UFC career. On July 19, they will meet for the final time to cap off an extraordinary trilogy. However, this time, the BMF belt will be on the line, a fitting title for two of the toughest warriors in UFC history.

Dustin Poirier told to emulate two different style to defeat Max Holloway at UFC 318

It’s hard to argue against Dustin Poirier being one of the greatest fighters to never win undisputed UFC gold. He’s challenged for the title three times, falling short against legends: Khabib Nurmagomedov (UFC 242), Charles Oliveira (UFC 269), and Islam Makhachev (UFC 302).

Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier to fight at UFC 318
Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier to fight at UFC 318 (via X)

Even in defeat, Poirier showcased his toughness, taking Makhachev to the fifth round and leaving the champ with a deep cut in a gritty, back-and-forth fight. Now, with the BMF belt on the line, ‘The Diamond’ has one last chance to add hardware to his legacy. Ahead of his retirement fight, Belal Muhammad shared some advice for Poirier.

It’s your last fight. You can’t get emotional in there. You can’t just make it a firefight. I know that’s what you want. Don’t jump the guillotine. You gotta get in the pocket. You gotta get Max Holloway going backwards. Use those low kicks like Volkanovski did against him. Start tearing down that leg. If he points to the ground in the last 30 seconds, be disciplined.

Belal Muhammad via his YouTube channel

At UFC 245, Alexander Volkanovski spammed leg kicks throughout five rounds to take away the momentum of Holloway and capture the featherweight title. Last year at UFC 308, Ilia Topuria traded in the pocket and successfully knocked out the Hawaiian star.

Muhammad believes that Poirier has the capability to emulate similar gameplan to keep the current BMF champion at bay. After all, ‘The Diamond’ used leg kicks effectively to defeat Conor McGregor at UFC 257 and has shown the ability to trade effectively in the pocket as seen in his fights against Benoit Saint-Denis, Justin Gaethje and Eddie Alvarez.

Meanwhile, Holloway is not the same fighter Poirier fought in 2019. ‘Blessed’ showed significant improvement in his UFC 300 performance and stunned the MMA world with a last-second knockout against Justin Gaethje.

The sequence in the last ten seconds of the bout is something many call the greatest KO in UFC history. With Holloway now fighting at 155 pounds, and seemingly healthier and stronger at the weight, Poirier faces one of the toughest tests of his career in his farewell fight.

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