Dustin Poirier and Islam Makhachev never had a beef before the two faced off after the pre-fight press conference of UFC 302. Makhachev misunderstood Poirier’s words, resulting in a brief but non-violent skirmish. The lightweight fighters have now patched up.
At the face-offs, Poirier used the word ‘motherfu**er’ in casual slang which Makhachev mistook as an insult. Makhchev even threatened to slap Poirier. However, they appeared to have patched up during the official weigh-ins as Poirier apologized for the misunderstanding.
It’s still war, but I would never disrespect your family.
Dustin Poirier via UFC Embedded
Ali Abdelaziz, Makhachev’s manager, also stated it was a misunderstanding. Makhachev too realized the misunderstanding. However, he revealed such things are not acceptable in his country. In Russia, people might construe the word as an insult to their mother, possibly starting a physical altercation.
Makhachev and Poirier weighed in on point at 155lbs for the fight. Interestingly, all the other fighters on the main card of the PPV also weighed in at the championship limit even though non-title fights have a one-pound allowance.
Michael Venom Page speaks on Dustin Poirer’s potential victory
Dustin Poirer has never won an undisputed title despite being at the top of the game for a long time. As such, many in the MMA community, including fighters hope for Poirier to have a fairytale ending at UFC 302. Jamahal Hill is one such person, predicting an upset victory for Poirier.
Michael Venom Page previews Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier (Image via: IMAGO)Michael Venom Page, a recent UFC signee and close friend of Hill, disagreed with Hill. They even have a bet with each other, with Page picking Makhachev to retain the title. However, Page revealed he would be happy if Poirier upset the odds.
I would be massively happy. Like I said, I think Dustin [Poirier] would be a great champion. I think he deserves it. He’s been flirting with that top spot and just hasn’t quite made it. What a great story it would be for him to cross that finishing line in this moment against a very, very tough champion and an amazing mixed martial artist [Islam Makhachev].
Michael Venom Page via YouTube
Page also predicted the co-main event of UFC 302 between Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa. He stated it is a 50-50 fight, which would end via a left high kick finish for Costa or a straight right-hand finish for Strickland. As for Page, he is on the featured matchup of the next PPV, UFC 303, on June 29 against Ian Machado Garry.
!
