For up-and-coming fighters in MMA, the driving force that keeps them hitting the gym is the prospect of winning gold and being recognized as the best in their division.
But as time passes by, mindsets can change. Appearing in headline-making bouts, and making money from what is a short career, can often become the guiding light.
That helps to explain why Dustin Poirier may yet eschew a shot at UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev this summer, and instead focus his crosshairs on a scrap with one of two fighters he has had beef with before… Michael Chandler or Conor McGregor.