There has been controversy surrounding UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and his alleged use of an IV before his victory against featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. Makhachev won via unanimous decision, but some fans are questioning the credibility of the judges’ decision.
Volkanovski’s team City Kickboxing accused Makhachev of using an IV to rehydrate after extreme weight cutting, which is illegal if the infusion exceeds 100 ml in a 12-hour period according to USADA guidelines. It’s also completely illegal by Western Australia athletic commission standards.
Makhachev’s teammate Zubaira Tukhugov even confirmed it in a private conversation, alleging that UFC turns a blind eye when major stars do it.
Although the talk about Makhachev’s use of an IV is starting to die down, Volkanovski’s coach Eugene Bareman confirmed that the investigation is ongoing. Bareman stated that his team provided information to the authorities and their job is to pass it on, and it’s not their job to prove or name anything.
In a talk with Combat TV, Bareman insisted that his team is simply providing information to the authorities.
“Obviously there is the IV controversy that happened in Perth. But, there is no controversy for us. It’s very simple. We, as a team, got some information. We deemed the information good. And our job now is to pass it on to the proper authorities and then they take care of it. It’s got nothing to do with us.” Bareman said.
He added, “It’s not like my team doesn’t have to prove or name it. No. That’s not how this works. There are proper authorities that take care of this. You don’t go on the internet and start telling every little detail about an investigation that’s going on. That’s just not how it works. It’s not our job to validate.”