Coming into 2019, the idea of seeing Khabib Nurmagomedov, the UFC's undefeated Muslim champion, headline a major event in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, would not have seemed far-fetched. Picturing Dustin Poirier as the man standing across from him, however, would have been much harder to envision.
It's not that Poirier (25-5) wasn't one of the top lightweights in the world coming into this year. Quite the contrary. In 2018, Poirier stopped Justin Gaethje and Eddie Alvarez, extending his unbeaten streak to five. His record at 155 pounds in the UFC, coming into 2019, was 7-1 with one no contest.