Dustin Poirier suffered rib injury two weeks before UFC 302 title fight loss: ‘He hadn’t wrestled or grappled’
Former interim lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier reportedly entered his UFC 302 title fight with Islam Makhachev over the course of the weekend with a lingering rib injury, according to former lightweight star, Yves Edwards – limiting his ability to wrestle or grapple in preparation for the bout.
Poirier, a former interim lightweight titleholder and the current number four ranked division contender, headlined UFC 302 over the course of last weekend against pound-for-pound number one, Makhachev – eventually succumbing to a fifth round submission.
Turning in a valiant performance against the pound-for-pound leader, Poirier was forced to tap to a late D’Arce choke, before eventually going unconscious.
And in the immediate aftermath, following an embrace with Makhachev and former foe, Khabib Nurmagomedov who coached the defending champion in New Jersey, Poirier admitted that he had likely made his final Octagon walk following a storied career in combat sports.
Dustin Poirier battled rib injury prior to UFC 302
However, with Makhachev confirming a pre-existing staph infection amid speculation of a setback ahead of UFC 302, the above-mentioned, Edwards claimed Poirier had suffered a rib injury just two weeks from the clash, limiting his ability to grapple and wrestle.
“The way he (Dustin Poirier) performed on Saturday night, that was super impressive to me,” Yves Edwards said on MMA Today. “Nobody knows this and he probably is gonna be like, ‘Man, why’d you put that out there?’ But like, I know (Islam) Makhachev was also not 100 percent, nobody goes into a fight 100 percent, but he hurt his ribs two weeks before the fight and hadn’t wrestled or grappled for two and a half weeks.”
“I probably shouldn’t [reveal that], but to me it’s so impressive against that guy,” Edwards explained. “Against somebody else, it wouldn’t matter. Against that guy, Islam, man, you wrestled like that against that guy with hurt ribs. I’m impressed.”
What’s your thoughts on Dustin Poirier’s performance at UFC 302?
