UFC 302: The ‘joke’ defining Dustin Poirier vs Islam Makhachev debates

Somehow, an occasion as momentous and emotional as Dustin Poirier’s final shot at undisputed UFC gold has come to be defined by a joke of sorts, about whether the “Diamond” can pull off a specific choke. So, how did we get here?

In Poirier’s long and storied MMA career, the fan favourite has earned six wins over four undisputed UFC champions. Yet none of those fighters held a UFC title when Poirier beat them, except Max Holloway in his second fight with the American; even then, Holloway was vying for the interim lightweight belt against Poirier, rather than defending his featherweight strap.