Georges St-Pierre’s Coach Feels Islam Makhachev Is Going Into UFC 302 Compromised: ‘I Can Tell You A Staph Infection When I See It!’

Once the pictures went out, fans could not help but notice the apparent infection right under Makhachev’s left knee. This was followed by people searching for Makhachev’s pictures during camp and noticing that he might have had the infection for quite some time because his knee was covered during training. 

Not just MMA fans, but the likes of Conor McGregor has also been vocal about Makhachev’s infection heading into the fight. Another name on the list is Georges St-Pierre’s coach, Firas Zahabi, who thinks that the lightweight champ isn’t going to be at his best during the fight as a result of it.

While discussing UFC 302 on the Tristar Gym YouTube channel, Zahabi was asked how Makhachev’s alleged staph infection could influence his fight. The coach first checked out the pictures from the latest photo shoot and was quick to suggest that Makhachev indeed absolutely has a staph infection.

Zahabi was clearly stunned to see Makhachev’s leg. He went on to claim that having a staph infection right before such a huge fight isn’t ideal at all, and that antibiotic medication could negatively impact the champ’s performance at UFC 302. 

It is worth noting that Poirier’s last opponent, Benoît Saint Denis, went into their fight at UFC 299 with a staph infection as well. After a strong first round, the Frenchman was knocked out. He claimed that the antibiotics drained his energy and he could only maintain pressure for one round.