As the presser got underway, the American crowd made its presence felt by hurling thunderous boos atMakhachev.
The reigning lightweight champion handled it well, telling fans, “It doesn’t matter, I’ve fought all over the place. I’m used to people booing.”
Later,Poirierthrew shade at the Russian, implying he’s scared of standing up and boxing with ‘The Diamond.’
“He should listen to his coaches and box like they’re telling him to,” Poirier remarked.
That led to an immediate response by Makhachev, saying, “This is not boxing. This is MMA, man.”
“Well, you’re going to sleep like it’s boxing,”Poirier quickly fired back, much to the delight of the passionate crowd in attendance.
After talking some more trash back and forth, the time came for both fighters to meet in the ceremonial faceoff ahead of their match.
At first, it appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary. Poirier and Makhachev jawed back and forth without much coming from it.
Then, the challenger called the champion a “motherf**ker,” whichMakhachevdid not appreciate.
Jon Anik stayed between the two and prevented them from throwing any punches. But as they got closer and closer, security stepped in.
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By the time Poirier walked away, he told Makhachev that he “has respect” for him, but now it is time to fight.
It’s unclear whether or not this is an effective strategy, but one thing is certain: Poirier has woken up the bear.
Hunter Haas was a Senior Sports Writer at Dexerto. Over the last two years he has worked as a writer and editor for FanSided at NFLMocks. He also served as an editor at The Raider Ramble and The Blue Stable. Hunter is an expert in all things MMA, WWE, and NFL.
You can email him here: hunter.haas@dexerto.com
