Secret injury prevented Dustin Poirier from grappling for two and half weeks before Islam Makhachev fight, reveals training partner
Dustin Poirier was unsuccessful in his third opportunity to capture the lightweight title as he suffered a fifth-round submission loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 this past weekend. Yves Edwards, who is a long-time teammate with 'The Diamond' at American Top Team, revealed that he was unable to grapple for several weeks leading up to the title bout due to injury.
Speaking to RJ Clifford of the MMA Today podcast, 'Thugjitsu Master' stated:
"The way he performed on Saturday night, that was super impressive to me. And nobody knows this and he's probably going to be like, 'why'd you put that out there?' I know Makhachev was also not 100 percent. Nobody goes into a fight 100 percent, but he hurt his ribs like two weeks before the fight and hadn't wrestled or grappled for two and a half weeks."
Edwards continued:
"I probably shouldn't, but to me it's so impressive. It's impressive against that guy. Against somebody else, it wouldn't matter, but against that guy it's like, 'man, you wrestled like that against that guy with hurt ribs, okay. I'm impressed.'... Of course, it wasn't like, 'I can't fight', but it's something you kind of have to work around... The injury and the opponent, those two things combined, and then the performance, for me, that says a lot."
Check out Yves Edwards' full comments on Dustin Poirier's rib injury below:
While Poirier entered the bout as a heavy underdog, he kept the fight competitive before ultimately being submitted in the fifth round. Makhachev, who is widely considered among the best wrestlers in the sport, was only able to land five of 16 takedown attempts.
Dustin Poirier weighs in on retirement following loss to Islam Makhachev
Dustin Poirier has had 31 bouts in the UFC since making his promotional debut at UFC 125 back on New Year's Day in 2011. Leading up to his clash with Islam Makhachev, he teased that it could be his last time entering the octagon. 'The Diamond' weighed in on retirement at his post-fight press-conference, stating:
"I just got to see. I was fighting to be the world champion. What else am I fighting for? Just to fight for the thrill? Because I am addicted to it, no doubt, but for the money? I'm good. Me and my family are good. I don't need the money. Money's great, but my health is first. What am I fighting for? To be the champion again? Will I ever get that shot, even if I go on a streak? I don't know."
Check out Dustin Poirier's full comments on retiring from mixed martial arts below:
Poirier's loss at UFC 302 marked his third time suffering defeat in an undisputed lightweight title bout. He noted that he has not yet decided if he will continue fighting or hang up his gloves. The No. 4-ranked lightweight has a professional mixed martial arts record of 30-9 (1).