Former UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier is known for his willingness to engage in high-risk, high-reward exchanges inside the octagon. But when it comes to applying those same techniques outside of a controlled sporting environment, the Louisiana native is urging fans and martial arts enthusiasts to think twice before attempting flashy submissions.
Poirier recently opened up about guillotine choke and specifically the jumping variation, sometimes referred to as the “ninja choke.” While the Diamond admitted he has thought about pulling off the technique during competition, he was candid about the risks involved in attempting it anywhere other than a padded mat with a referee nearby.
“If you jump a guillotine in a street scrap, you better be sure you’ve got it and you can’t get slammed on your head,” Poirier warned, making clear that the consequences of a failed attempt could be severe.
The jumping guillotine, or ninja choke as it has come to be known in many circles, involves an athlete leaping and wrapping their legs around an opponent while simultaneously securing the choke.
Poirier pointed out that there are safer ways to finish the same submission without adding unnecessary risk.
“You can finish a standing high elbow guillotine. Don’t jump a guillotine in the street,” he noted, suggesting that grounded, technical application is a far more reliable path than the aerial version.
Interestingly, Poirier also revealed that despite his years of combat sports experience, the guillotine has never actually been his go-to in uncontrolled situations.
“I’ve never even got a guillotine in a real match,” he said.
The surface beneath your feet matters enormously, according to Poirier, and it changes the entire calculus of how you might defend yourself.
His bottom line on the matter was: “Don’t jump it in the street, man. Don’t jump a guillotine in the street.”
