Islam Makhachev is dealing with a lot of scrutiny following accusations that he used an IV to rehydrate ahead of UFC 284.
The Dagestani native isn’t letting this drama sour his homecoming and instead opted to issue another response.
At UFC 284, the UFC Lightweight Champion beat Alexander Volkanovski by a majority decision to successfully defend his championship.
This accusation was first made by Dan Hooker, a teammate of Volkanovski and a former rival of Makhachev. Hooker made a series of tweets while he was out and about and ‘out of it’.
Makhachev has now responded by denying these allegations once again. He claimed that he did not use IV. According to Makhachev, both the UFC and USADA have not accused him of anything.
According to MMA journalist Damon Martin, USADA released a statement on the matter saying:
“USADA takes all reports of possible violations seriously and we actively follow up on all information we receive. Under the UFC Prohibited List, all IV infusions and/or injections of more than 100 mL per 12-hour period are prohibited at all times, except for those legitimately received in the course of hospital admissions, surgical procedures or clinical diagnostic investigations, and/or those received in-competition or out-of-competition that are determined to be medically-justified and within the standard of care by a licensed physician and administered by a licensed medical professional, without an approved Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE). If a prohibited substance of any amount is administered intravenously by infusion or injection, a TUE is required for this prohibited substance regardless of the volume of the infusion or injection or the circumstances of administration.”
Makhachev called to be exonerated.
He said:
“No official institution has accused me of anything, neither the UFC nor USADA. It’s just a few salty guys from Volkanovski’s team accusing me with no proof. [The UFC] and the athletic commission should settle this and punish those who make such unsubstantiated accusations.”
“I can’t put an I.V. because that’s forbidden. I don’t do that stuff.”
Additionally, Islam Makhachev hopes to motivate the people of Dagestan. He stated: “I want to lead by example for our guys. The gyms in Dagestan are packed. I want to be a positive influence. I want to show that any guy from a simply family can train every day, set a goal and work towards it. Someone who works towards their goal will eventually achieve something.”