Islam Makhachev denies he’s suffering from Staph infection
During the UFC 302 pre-fight press conference, Makhachev was asked to address speculation of a staph infection on his left leg.
“Don’t worry guys, I had a [very good] training camp,” Makhachev said. “Nothing is bothering me, and I’ll be 100% on Saturday night.”
As of this writing, there’s no direct evidence that Makhachev is suffering from staph, although he could potentially open up more on the leg bruising after UFC 302.
After addressing online speculation, Makhachev will turn his attention towards weight-cutting and making final preparations for UFC 302. The Khabib Nurmagomedov protégé is on a 13-fight winning streak, including his vacant title win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 280.
Benoît Saint-Denis suffered from a staph infection leading up to his knockout loss to Poirier at UFC 299 in March. After the defeat, he opened up on how the infection impacted his training camp and his physical readiness.
Whether or not Makhachev is legitimately suffering from a staph infection, he appears laser-focused ahead of his fight with Poirier. He continues to improve his overall MMA game, as evidenced by his most recent victory over Volkanovski at UFC 294.
Makhachev’s answer to speculation of infection likely won’t tone down skeptics, but he appears confident in his preparation.
