A photo of Islam Makhachev of his UFC 302 pre-fight photoshoot was enough to send Conor McGregor in an attack on hygiene.
McGregor, who is not a doctor, believes he has identified a staph infection on Makhachev’s left shin and has lashed out at the UFC lightweight champion and his team for cleaning it up. A dark, circular spot is visible on Makahchev’s leg in the photo McGregor tweeted, which was enough for McGregor to give his diagnosis.
It wasn’t all criticism of McGregor, however, as he added a prediction that Makhachev will still win the UFC 302 main event title fight in the opening round against Dustin Poirier.
“Staph again,” wrote McGregor on X. “This inbred, however, lives with Staph. This team is infested, make no mistake. Nape balls. Whatever you like, I suppose. He even replaces Dustin in the first.”
McGregor added a second post:
“You are absolute scruffy idiots, I’m sick of you. Wash yourself! Wash your clothes! Wash your carpets! And do it every day, you scruffy idiots.
Staph again. This inbred, however, lives with Staph. This team is infested, make no mistake. Nape balls. Whatever you like, I suppose. He even replaces Dustin in the first. https://t.co/8ducNYStAk
-Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) May 29, 2024
Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) is just days away from a scheduled title defense in the UFC 302 main event against Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ (ESPN+ pay-per-view). The stain visible in the current photo was not present in a similar photo during UFC 294 fight week, when Makhachev recorded his second title defense against Alexander Volkanovski.
If McGregor’s speculation is indeed correct, it will be the second time in a row that Poirier has competed against an infected opponent; Benoit Saint-Denis had staph on his forehead when he competed at UFC 299 in March. Saint-Denis was prescribed antibiotics, which he said affected his performance in the second round defeat to Poirier.
Makhachev’s team did not respond to a request for clarification from MMA Junkie nor did they respond to McGregor’s statement at the time of this writing.
For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC 302.
