UFC 284: Islam Makhachev accused of cheating with IV treatment ahead of Alexander Volkanovski fight

Islam Makhachev has been accused of using a banned IV (intravenous) treatment to rehydrate before his win over Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284.

Makhachev retained the UFC lightweight title on Saturday (11 February) with a narrow decision win over featherweight champion Volkanovski in Perth. However, the Russian has now been accused of cheating in the lead-up to the fight.

Dan Hooker, a teammate of Volkanovski, tweeted on Monday (13 February), “Dumb c*** thinks he can fly to Australia, hire a nurse to give him an I.V and we won’t find out. Cheating dog,” before later clarifying that he was referring to Makhachev.

“Islam is a cheat,” the New Zealander wrote. “Prove me wrong. Bet [you] can’t. He doesn’t cheat, he doesn’t win.”

Hooker also tweeted, “USADA doing f*** all,” referring to the United States Anti-Doping Agency, which prohibits IV infusions and injections.

The Independent has approached Usada and Makhachev’s management for comment.

Hooker, who was submitted by Makhachev in 2021, also posted a photo of an article from 2015 that suggested a two-year ban could be handed to athletes using IV treatments.

By beating Volkanovski, Makhachev equalled the 34-year-old’s record of 12 straight wins by an active UFC fighter. The Russian was last beaten in 2015.

Makhachev, 31, won the lightweight belt in November to follow in the footsteps of his coach and childhood friend Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Makhachev’s defence against Volkanovski was the first of his title reign, and saw the challenger suffer a first defeat since 2013. Volkanovski had won 22 fights in a row since that sole loss, before he came up short against Makhachev.

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