Dan Hooker has accused Islam Makhachev of cheating, and specifically using an illegal IV, in conjunction with his lightweight title fight against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284.
Less than 48 hours removed from the event, where Makhachev was awarded a decision win over featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski, Hooker publicly posted his claim on social media.
While the initial message did not specify who he was accusing of cheating, Hooker made clear that it was Makhachev in subsequent statements.
“Dumb c*nt thinks he can fly to Australia hire a nurse to give him an I.V and we won’t find out. Cheating dog,” Hooker wrote in his initial statement. Several shorter messages would follow. “USADA doing f*ck all,” read one. “He doesn’t cheat, he doesn’t win,” Hooker wrote in another.
“Islam is a cheat,” Hooker’s most recent statement read. That came in response to a fan asking Hooker to clarify who he was speaking of.
Despite winning a unanimous decision on the scorecards in the UFC 284 main event, Islam Makhachev endured what most see as his toughest test to date. In the final round, the Dagestani fighter was knocked down by featherweight champ Volkanovski, who moved into Makhachev’s guard and began working him over.
Makhachev could be seen checking the clock, and was noticeably banged up following the bout. But he took the fight three rounds to two on two judges’ scorecards, and four to one on the third. The fourth round proved crucial, as an early takedown by Makhachev allowed him to control the bulk of the round — though he was unable to make use of the position, and endured a fair number of strikes despite having control of Volkanovski’s back.
Hooker is a teammate of Volkanovski at City Kickboxing in New Zealand.
Cageside Press reached out to USADA for comment in regards to Hooker’s allegations. A spokesperson for the anti-doping organization stated that “USADA takes all reports of possible violations seriously and we actively follow up on all information we receive.”
In regards to the use of IVs by UFC athletes, “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.”
Story updated at 1:45PM ET to include USADA’s response.
