"No wonder he looked tired and not as strong" - Fans react to Islam Makhachev confirming rumors of staph infection after hard-fought UFC 302 win

Fans reacted to Islam Makhachev confirming he had a staph infection on his left leg heading into his five-round battle with Dustin Poirier.

Earlier this week, Makhachev was surrounded by staph infection rumors after questionable photos emerged from his media obligations. The controversy escalated after Conor McGregor made several accusations on X about the lightweight king's team continuously having trouble with the infection.

Nonetheless, Makhachev fought in the UFC 302 main event and defended his 155-pound throne with a fifth-round submission against Poirier. Following his impressive performance, the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC rankings confirmed he had staph during an interview with UFC Eurasia.

The news of Makhachev's staph infection was re-posted on X, leading to the following fan reactions:

"No wonder he looked tired and not as strong as usual. Still bro outboxed, out grappled, out gillied, and submitted Dustin Poirier with a staph infection! He went to deep water and returned more experienced."

"Oh ok. That might be the reason he looked a bit sluggish."

"When you are a soldier by heart/mind, when you have been trained for tough battles, some wounds will not stop you."

Twitter comments

Islam Makhachev also revealed he didn't train for a week to ensure the staph infection wouldn't spread. It's unconfirmed if he took antibiotics for the infection, which would have affected his cardio in the UFC 302 main event.

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What's next for Islam Makhachev under the UFC banner?

Shortly after getting his hand raised, Islam Makhachev announced he was interested in moving up to welterweight and potentially becoming a two-division champion. If the UFC agrees, Makhachev could fight the winner of Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad, who are scheduled to fight on July 27 in Manchester.

There's also a possibility of the UFC wanting Makhachev to defend his lightweight throne next time out. The most likely opponent for him in that situation would be number one-ranked Arman Tsarukyan, who turned down the UFC 302 title shot due to an injury and shorter notice after defeating Charles Oliveira at UFC 300.

Makhachev and Tsarukyan fought in April 2019 when they were trying to make a name for themselves in the lightweight division. The Dagestani fighter emerged victorious by unanimous decision and they've since been on a collision course for an intriguing rematch.