Dan Hooker and Islam Makhachev have been at each other’s throats recently. The lightweight fighters were rivals once but Hooker’s defeat took him out of the fray. Recently Makhachev had made a statement regarding Hooker’s IV usage accusations on Makhachev before the lightweight champion’s fight against Alexander Volkanovski. Nevertheless, the UFC champion seems to have triggered the sensitive nerve of Hooker.

The lightweight champion has been under scrutiny, with claims emerging that he utilized intravenous (IV) drugs right before his matches to restore the weight he had shed during the cut. These allegations were initially raised by Dan Hooker.

Dan Hooker fires back at Islam Makhachev

In times gone by, fighters were allowed to utilize intravenous (IV) methods for rehydration, a practice that continued until the intervention of USADA. Post-weigh-ins, it was common to witness fighters reclining on their bed and using the IV. However, a significant shift occurred with the introduction of USADA regulations, limiting the permissible volume to a mere 50 milliliters. Hooker accused Makhacehv of using a more quantity of IV when he faced Alexander Volkanovski.

Islam Makhachev’s response to Dan Hooker’s IV accusations was a picture of them fighting where Makhachev dominated Hooker with a single caption “My IV bag”. Hooker’s response to Makhachev was as fast as the bullet trains at the Shibuya Station. Hooker wasted no time and added a “Merry Christmas b**ch” as his response followed by a “Now somebody do Russians” tweet.

USADA at that time stated that  Makhachev was not at fault and even the UFC admin came forward to state the hubbub. After the controversy, Makhachev came forward to add a statement to the controversy.

Makhachev’s statement to the controversy

Islam Makhachev had shared his perspective on the situation, revealing that he underwent four tests by USADA—two be͏fore th͏e fight and two afterward. The lightweight champion also clarified th͏e images showing bruising on his arm, attributing it to the Australian Commission’s blood collection proce͏ss.

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Makhachev stated that the UFC as an organization works with better entities such as the USADA and he was tested numerous times before and after the fight. “The UFC works with the expert organization USADA. Before and after the fight I was tested four times in total. Somebody posted a picture with a bruise on my vein. Australia has its own commission that takes blood samples during fight week.”

Makhachev later stated that USADA and UFC have no problem with him, however, some fighters made this controversial.

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