Before his UFC 302 fight against Dustin Poirier, Islam Makhachev appeared to be dealing with a staph infection.
Fans quickly noticed a suspicious wound on his leg in media day photos, sparking rumors.
And, well, speaking with UFC Eurasia after his successful title defense – Makhachev admitted that the rumors were true:
Yes I had some…
I had a staph infection.It was bothering me for a week or so when we arrived here in the US.
He did see the doctor:
It did distract me a little so I didn’t train.
I had some rest to make sure it wouldn’t get worse.I saw the doctors.
I don’t think it really affected me, I just had to take some time off.
But was Makhachev thinking about postponing the fight due to the infection?
Not at all.
After coming such a long way, we didn’t even think about pulling out, unless the doctor would [have forced me to].
Watch what Islam Makhachev had to say about his staph infection on the video below:
‘Islam Makhachev confirms staph infection rumors, but says he wouldn’t have considered pulling out unless forced to by doctors. [UFCEurasia/IG] pic.twitter.com/P7RDP3wMOz
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) June 2, 2024
Sloth Jiu-Jitsu: you can be slow and unathletic and still kick butt in Jiu-Jitsu.
