After days of intense speculation surrounding the allegations laid on him by Dan Hooker, Lightweight champion Islam Makhachev has spoken up again on the topic. The 31-year-old gave out a statement on Twitter without naming anyone. He, however, made sure to send out a warning stating that people accusing him falsely need to be held accountable. Interestingly, this comes after UFC’s Jeff Novitzky released his statements surrounding the confusion around IV usage.

Now, what follows this all up to one’s imagination. There is no update on evidence or any official confirmation regarding the accusations against Makhachev. Moreover, to add to this, news on the Pound for Pound ranking which saw Alexander Volkanovski maintain his top spot despite losing to Makhachev also made things bitter for the Russian and his teammates.

Following Jeff Novitzky’s tweets, Islam Makhachev warns Dan Hooker of recent accusations

Considering the timing of the accusations, coming right after his important win, Makhachev must have surely felt some sort of discontent. Defending against the allegations, the Russian’s teammates and manager had all expressed their disappointment while slamming it to be baseless. Makhachev himself had also talked about this in a Russian interview upon arriving home. While speaking to media correspondents, he dismissed the accusations; claiming that he was tested four times heading into the fight while adding that the UFC and USADA had no issues with him.

The entire controversy had started after UFC lightweight Dan Hooker called Makhachev a cheat and slammed the Russian in a series of tweets. Although the lightweight champ did not respond to Hooker publicly, it does look like he has done so with this tweet.

His tweet read: “You must be held accountable for such accusations.”

Whatever follows from here, there’s no doubt MMA fans will be glued to the screens waiting for an update.

Jeff Novitzky gives a statement on Twitter regarding IV usage:

To provide clarity to the confusion surrounding IV usage and its disclosure, UFC’s Senior VP of Athlete Health & Performance, Jeff Novitzky, shared a series of tweets on it earlier. He gave out an in-depth explanation; he mentioned that apart from the UFC ADP, fighters were required to obtain permission from the athletic commissions as well before receiving an IV.

Read More: Dan Hooker Shares IV Usage Rules for Athletes After Making Accusations on Islam Makhachev; Fans React

However, Novitzky had also added that those received in the course of hospital treatments and surgical procedures were also permitted.

With this update, it does seem like Makhachev has set the ball rolling for some interesting updates on the next few dates. Whether it is a new rivalry between the two camps or another rematch between him and Volkanovski, one thing’s certain and that’s that MMA fans will enjoy every bit of it.

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