by Adam Josephson
Conor McGregor’s ongoing feud with fighters from Dagestan shows no signs of cooling down, as evidenced by his recent jab at Islam Makhachev. Makhachev is set to defend his lightweight title against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302’s main event this Saturday. A recent photo of both fighters wearing new 3Eight and 5Eight gloves caught the attention of observant fans, who noticed a mark on Makhachev’s leg, sparking speculation about a potential staph infection. At present, there’s been no confirmation regarding Makhachev’s health status or its potential impact on the upcoming bout.
McGregor wasted no time in taking aim at Makhachev and his team on social media. Despite this, “Notorious” also boldly predicted that the Dagestani fighter would secure a first-round submission victory over Poirier.
“Staph again. This individual, however, seems to be plagued by it,” McGregor remarked in now-deleted posts on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Their team appears to have a recurring issue. Quite unkempt. To each their own, I suppose. Nevertheless, he still submits Dustin in the 1st.”
“You all are absolutely unkempt individuals. I’ve had enough of it. Clean yourselves! Clean your attire! Clean your training mats! And do it consistently, you unkempt individuals. 🤢”
McGregor’s animosity towards the Dagestani faction began during the buildup to his UFC 229 showdown with Makhachev’s mentor and teammate, Khabib Nurmagomedov. Following reports of an altercation between Nurmagomedov and McGregor’s former associate Artem Lobov at UFC 223 media day, McGregor flew to New York and famously threw a dolly at a bus carrying “The Eagle” and other fighters.
Tensions reached a boiling point at UFC 229, where Nurmagomedov secured a fourth-round submission victory over McGregor before leaping out of the octagon to confront McGregor’s teammate, Dillon Danis. Additionally, Nurmagomedov’s teammates Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Zubaira Tukhugov faced suspensions for entering the cage to engage with McGregor. Since then, hostilities have lingered between the two camps, with McGregor occasionally taking swipes at the now-retired Nurmagomedov during his sporadic social media outbursts.
