Conor McGregor has taken the opportunity to have a swipe at his old rival Dustin Poirier and changed his mind on the outcome of his clash against Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 this weekend.
The relationship between McGregor and Poirier has been strained since the third bout of their epic trilogy in 2021, when the Irishman suffered a nasty leg injury resulting in a lengthy absence from the sport.
In the meantime, Poirier has set his sights on claiming the undisputed lightweight crown and will make his third attempt against Makhachev in New Jersey. Ahead of the special event, UFC revealed that the 35-year-old will wear a custom outfit.
Fighters are normally held to a strict dress code in the octagon, although exceptions are made on occasion for high-profile bouts. However, Poirier's choice of floral shorts appeared to hand McGregor all the ammunition he needed to fire shots at his longtime foe.
'Tampax pants,' he wrote in one post on X, formerly Twitter, before sharing a pair of photos of tampons alongside Poirier with the caption 'Perfect for a bloodied up p****.'
Conor McGregor aimed a series of jibes at his old rival Dustin Poirier ahead of his fight this weekend
Dustin Poirier will get his third chance to win the UFC lightweight title on Saturday evening
McGregor crudely mocked his old rival for his choice of attire for the headline event in New Jersey
During his social media outburst, McGregor also gave his latest read on the outcome of the bout, backing the wrestling expert Makhachev to end the contest in the first round.
Though, his nod to the Russian did not come without spurious claims. The Irishman mocked Makhachev for a rumour that he is fighting a staph infection.
'Staph again. This inbred however lives with Staph.' McGregor wrote. 'This team is infested, make no mistake. Scruff balls. Whatever ya’s are into, I suppose. He still subs Dustin in the 1st.'
Just last week, McGregor had tipped his old rival to upset the reigning champion.
'You know, I think Dustin can do him,' he said on a Kick stream with Duelbits.'I think Dustin does him, knocks him out.
'I think the things that Makhachev does wrong, the things he’s not good at? He fumbles over his feet, usually early on and falls into shots. He’s been knocked out by that back check hook from a southpaw before inside the UFC.
'That’s one of Dustin’s best shots! If Dustin’s ever going to do it, this will be his time. Obviously Dustin does his things bad also that feed into Makhachev’s strengths. But it is all to play for, there is no clear favourite in it.
'The Diamond' will take on reigning champion Islam Makhachev in UFC 302's main event
McGregor cited unsubstantiated rumours about Makhachev in his prediction for the bout
'Look at Dustin’s last fight, he was getting manhandled by Benoit Saint-Denis and he stayed with it and then caught him.
'He got back to his feet and landed a shot so that was great experience going into this bout and if there’s ever a chance for him to get it done, this will be it.'