Dan Hooker Accuses; Makhachev Camp Responds. IV Laws Revealed.
Dan Hooker did not hold back his frustration following UFC 284. The lightweight leveled a serious slew of accusations against lightweight champion Islam Makhachev via Twitter.
Makhachev successfully defended his title after a grueling five-round decision over featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski this past Saturday at Perth, Australia’s RAC Arena. Hooker, who was in Perth to support his teammate Volkanovski, made his opinion known that he feels Makhachev broke the law to give himself an unfair advantage before the fight.
While Islam looked exhausted, battered, and frail at weigh-ins, he made championship weight at 155 lbs, but not before having to strip down fully naked (a legal practice). Hooker, whom Makhachev submitted at UFC 257, clearly couldn’t believe that Islam was able to bounce back from such a brutal weight cut.
Only those who receive an IV “in the course of hospital admissions, surgical procedures, or clinical investigations” are exempt from USADA’s ban on IV infusions and/or injections.
Makhachev’s co-manager Rizvan Magomedov told MMA Junkie in response to the claims, “We all know this is completely B.S. The guy is a loser. He’s salty and just looking for attention, and that’s it.”
Volkanovski made sure to add his take as well during an interview with Ariel Helwani. Due to the extreme nature of weight cuts, fighters tend to weigh 10-20 lbs heavier when they step into the cage as they refuel. “[When I stepped into the cage on fight night] I think I was 170 [pounds] or just under,” Volkanovski said on The MMA Hour, “178 to 180 I think he would have been. I’ve heard he gets up to like 180. You fill up pretty quick on the IVs and stuff like that.”
But the story doesn’t end there. As traction for the accusations began to ramp up, more people started to ask questions.
The promotion decided to clarify any misunderstanding about what is allowed by sending a reminder of the UFC Anti-Doping Program’s rules to the fighter roster. The initial prohibition on IV use went into effect in 2015, but it was changed in 2019.
A copy of the email fighters received, which specifies when a fighter may use an IV without needing a therapeutic use exemption (TUE), was obtained by MMA Junkie.
UFC Senior Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance Jeff Novitzky posted explanations of the revised IV rules on Twitter as well.
In any case, Volkanovski is hoping for a rematch with Makhachev as soon as possible, although he still holds the featherweight belt following his first promotional loss.
There is currently no concrete proof that Makhachev used an IV during UFC 284 fight week, whether in accordance with the rules or not.
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