Islam Makhachev clowns Dustin Poirier with hilarious reaction over footwear goof-up at celebrity football game

Islam Makhachev laughed as a viral photo of Dustin Poirier wearing cleats on a basketball court made the rounds on social media.

The snapshot comes from the 25th anniversary of the Celebrity Sweat Flag Football Challenge, where Poirier was seen alongside former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and teammates posing for a group photo. The event took place in New Orleans, Louisiana, at Edna Karr High School.

Poirier was spotted wearing golden football cleats on a basketball court, which caught Makhachev’s attention. The UFC lightweight champion couldn’t hold back and took a lighthearted jab at Poirier.

The Dagestani star shared the viral picture on his Instagram story, saying:

“@dustinpoirier no way [laughing emojis].”

Check out the screenshot of Islam Makhachev‘s Instagram story below:

Makhachev and Poirier squared off at UFC 302, where the Dagestani successfully defended his lightweight title by submitting Poirier in the fifth round after a back-and-forth battle.

Despite their intense clash inside the octagon, the two fighters showed great admiration for each other post-fight and have since shared a mutual respect and strong relationship.

Dustin Poirier believes Islam Makhachev can dominate at 170 pounds but not at 185

Following his fourth lightweight title defense at UFC 311 against Renato Moicano, Islam Makhachev expressed his desire to become a double champion. The reigning lightweight king made it clear that if the UFC offers him a fight against middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis, he would accept it without hesitation.

In an interview with Helen Yee, Dustin Poirier shared his thoughts on Makhachev potentially moving up in weight. While ‘The Diamond’ expressed confidence that Makhachev could compete and even become champion at welterweight, he was skeptical about his chances at 185 pounds, explaining that the size difference would be too much. Poirier stated:

“I think he [Makhachev] would do really good at 170 [welterweight]. But at 185 [middleweight], the guys are just too big. Islam’s a big guy [too]. He can fight at 170 for sure. He can become the champion at 170, I believe. But, [moving to] 185 is pushing it [a bit too much], I think.”

Check out Dustin Poirier’s comments below:

👀Dustin Poirier believes Islam Makhachev can become a welterweight champion.

He also sees middleweight division as too big for him.

🎥 @HelenYeeSports ▫️ pic.twitter.com/LoYWlbxixf

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) February 7, 2025