Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier will fight for the lightweight title at UFC 302, and the official photo shoots have led to many believing that the champion is dealing with a nasty staph infection.
Once the pictures went out, fans could not help but notice the apparent infection right under Makhachev’s left knee. This was followed by people searching for Makhachev’s pictures during camp and noticing that he might have had the infection for quite some time because his knee was covered during training.
Islam might have a Staph infection 🤔
If true then this is Dustin’s 2nd opponent in a row to fight with a Staph infection pic.twitter.com/nE8GkK1HcX
— Veluta (@VelutaMMA) May 29, 2024
Not just MMA fans, but the likes of Conor McGregor has also been vocal about Makhachev’s infection heading into the fight. Another name on the list is Georges St-Pierre’s coach, Firas Zahabi, who thinks that the lightweight champ isn’t going to be at his best during the fight as a result of it.
St-Pierre’s Coach Coach Calls Islam Makhachev’s Staph Infection ‘Pretty Bad’
While discussing UFC 302 on the Tristar Gym YouTube channel, Zahabi was asked how Makhachev’s alleged staph infection could influence his fight. The coach first checked out the pictures from the latest photo shoot and was quick to suggest that Makhachev indeed absolutely has a staph infection.
“That’s pretty bad, yeah. That’s staph my friends. I could tell you. I’m not a doctor, okay? I didn’t go to medical school, okay? But I know staph when I see it. I’ve travelled all over the world. I’ve trained with thousands of people, thousands. I can tell you a staph infection when I see it.”
Zahabi was clearly stunned to see Makhachev’s leg. He went on to claim that having a staph infection right before such a huge fight isn’t ideal at all, and that antibiotic medication could negatively impact the champ’s performance at UFC 302.
“Damn, listen. If he’s on staph meds, and the fight’s this weekend, if that picture was this week, damn, that’s not good news.”
It is worth noting that Poirier’s last opponent, Benoît Saint Denis, went into their fight at UFC 299 with a staph infection as well. After a strong first round, the Frenchman was knocked out. He claimed that the antibiotics drained his energy and he could only maintain pressure for one round.
Could a similar fate be awaiting the current lightweight champion as well?
