Dustin Poirier will receive a hero's welcome in his native Louisiana at UFC 318 when he battles Max Holloway for a third time in their careers. It's a respect Poirier earned from his peers and the promotion that they would take a PPV event to New Orleans for the first time in 25 years as a proper send off to one of the good guys in the sport's history.

Poirier (30-9 MMA, 22-8 UFC) returns to the cage in a retirement bout this Saturday in the main event of UFC 318 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+ ), which takes place at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. He takes on former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) in a trilogy bout.

How training camp wisdom from a young Dustin Poirier proved to be surprisingly meaningful — and prescient, considering the great career now drawing to a close at UFC 318.

SportsLine's Daniel Vithlani reveals his picks for the UFC 318 fight card from Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on Saturday

Lafayette native Dustin Poirier will return to New Orleans for the first time in nearly a decade to face off against featherweight Max Holloway.

NEW ORLEANS – Joe Rogan will miss out on commentating Dustin Poirier's final UFC fight. Poirier (30-9 MMA, 22-8 UFC) challenges Max Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) for the BMF title in Saturday's UFC 318 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) main event at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.