As boos echoed through the arena, Max Holloway stood unfazed. “There are the boos. Bring on more of the boos, please,” he said, welcoming the jeers from the Louisiana crowd with a smile. While most fighters might have fired back to stir up tension before fight night, Holloway stayed calm. It was a peculiar move, given that he’s going to fight Dustin Poirier for the third and final time on Saturday night.
The trilogy fight between Poirier and Holloway will headline UFC 318. The Lafayette resident was the victor in the previous battles. Still, ‘Blessed’ did nothing but welcome the boos from the crowd. And ‘The Diamond’ made sure that Holloway got what he asked for. He decided to bring in Creole delicacy to line up more boos for the Hawaiian at UFC 318.
Dustin Poirier’s subtle prompt for the BMF champ
During the UFC 318 pre-fight press conference, a reporter reminded the BMF champion of his words just moments before — him inviting boos from the Louisiana crowd. The reporter pushed Holloway to say something to fire up the audience, to get him the boos on Saturday night. ‘BlessedMax ’ replied, “They don’t need no firing up. This is exactly what I expected and I’m thankful for them, you know. Give this man, he’s a hometown hero, guys. Give this man his respect. Keep booing my a–.”
That’s when the Lafayette resident turned towards Holloway and gave him a prompt. Following this, Holloway stated, “Hey, Dustin said this gumbo sucks. Hey, gumbo sucks, guys.” This was likely the best move for ‘Blessed’ to get on the wrong side of New Orleans. After all, gumbo is a stew that’s greatly loved by people of Louisiana. But what exactly is gumbo?
Gumbo is a stew with a base of a strongly flavored stock, primarily meat or shellfish. In New Orleans, gumbo is often made with a dark roux. There may or may not be okra or filé powder, but there’s certainly sausages, meat, and the ‘Holy Trinity’ of onions, bell peppers, and celery. Gumbo is the official cuisine of the state. So, if there was anything Holloway could have done to rile up the crowd, thrashing their state food was the way to go.
But why exactly does Max Holloway want to get on the bad side of the Louisiana crowd? Shouldn’t his ire be directed to Poirier prior to the trilogy fight? As we saw earlier, Holloway wants nothing but to pay respect to ‘The Diamond’.
Why does Max Holloway want to get booed at UFC 318?
At the UFC 318 media day, the BMF champion said, “At the end of the day, when we go out there to do the walks, I was telling Daniel Cormier, ‘I hope my a– gets booed.’ This is his last dance, and he’s representing his home state—boo my a–. Because if we were in Hawaii, I’m pretty sure the Hawaiians would boo whoever I’m fighting against.”
Make no mistake. Despite the calm and camaraderie, ‘Blessed’ plans to bring the fire on July 18th. With the promise of a fun fight, Holloway continued, “It is what it is. I want to play spoiler. That’s what I do. It sucks because it’s him, but like I said before, I was 4-0 when I fought this man, on a 13-fight winning streak the last time. He did me dirty, so I guess I gotta do him dirty in his retirement fight.”
UFC 318 will be the last time we’ll get to see Dustin Poirier competing in the cage. With the hopes of claiming the BMF belt, ‘The Diamond’ gets ready to battle ‘Blessed’ and finally get his ‘last dance’. What do you think of Holloway demanding boos from the crowd ahead of the much-awaited trilogy fight?
The post What Is Louisiana’s Gumbo? Dustin Poirier’s Prompt to Max Holloway for More Boos at UFC 318 Press Conference appeared first on EssentiallySports.