Dan Hooker has made a serious accusation against lightweight champion Islam Makhachev coming out of UFC 284.
Makhachev (24-1 MMA, 13-1 UFC) retained his title with a grueling five-round decision win over featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski in this past Saturday’s (Sunday locally) main event at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Hooker, who was in Perth to support City Kickboxing teammate Volkanovski (25-2 MMA, 12-1 UFC), believes Makhachev broke U.S. Anti-Doping Agency rules to give himself an unfair advantage heading into the fight.
Makhachev looked gaunt when he successfully made championship weight, needing to strip down completely to hit 155 pounds. Hooker, who was quickly submitted by Makhachev at UFC 257, says he has proof that Makhachev used intravenous (IV) therapy to replenish after weigh-ins, which has been an illegal practice since USADA was introduced as the UFC’s anti-doping partner in late 2015.
USADA bans IV infusions and/or injections, making an exception only for those who received an IV “in the course of hospital admissions, surgical procedures or clinical investigations.”
Hooker’s tweets about Makhachev can be seen below.
Dan Hooker accuses ‘cheating dog’ Islam Makhachev of using IV to rehydrate after UFC 284 weigh-ins
