NEW ORLEANS – Paulo Costa has seen better days, but Roman Kopylov still considers him to be at elite level.

Saturday's UFC 318 card will be a tear-jerker for Dustin Poirier fans. The beloved lightweight legend is set to make his final walk to the Octagon in the card's main event, and he'll do so in front of legions of dedicated fans on home turf in New Orleans.

New Orleans rapper Alfred Banks celebrates his birthday on Saturday, July 19, with a show at Gasa Gasa. He’ll be joined by La Reezy, who recently has been catching some national attention, and gifted lyricist Kaye the Beast. Music starts at 9 p.m., and tickets are $19.29 via gasagasanola.com.

"The Italian Dream" takes on bitter rival Brendan Allen on the preliminary card of Saturday's UFC pay-per-view event at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. Vettori (19-7-1 MMA, 9-6-1 UFC) and Allen (24-7 MMA, 12-4 UFC) have plenty of history, more infamously getting into a brawl on the casino floor of the Hard Rock Hotel in South Florida.

One UFC 318 fighter arrived in the promotion last year with one of the more memorable Octagon debuts in recent memory.