UFC star Dan Hooker has made the shocking claim that Islam Makhachev used an intravenous (IV) infusion to help him rehydrate ahead of his bout against Alexander Volkanovski.
The New Zealand fighter labelled the Russian a ‘cheating dog’ in an outrageous Twitter rant.
The lightweight champion was victorious over the Australian in Perth in what was a tightly-fought contest.
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Makhachev prevailed by unanimous decision, however, Volkanovski and many others, such as Joe Rogan, believed he was robbed on the scorecards.
Ahead of the fight, the Russian was seen getting emotional at the weigh-ins after realising he had made weight - highlighting the strenuous nature of his camp.
However, Hooker has since made the bombshell accusations that Islam cheated ahead of the fight.
His initial tweet did not directly name the Russian, however, it soon became apparent exactly who he was referring to.
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He tweeted: “Dumb c**t thinks he can fly to Australia to hire a nurse to give him an I.V and we won’t find out.
“Cheating dog.”
He then went on to claim that the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) wasn’t doing anything to deal with the allegations while telling his followers that they couldn’t prove him wrong.
He then added: “He doesn’t cheat, he doesn’t win.”
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Before then confirm exactly the fighter he was talking about.
He adds: “Islam is a cheat."
USADA banned the use of IV therapy for fighters to rehydrate back in 2019.
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The ban was ‘designed to protect clean sport and athlete health and safety’.
Fighters can face a potential ban of up to two years from the UFC if they are caught breaking the ruling.
Brazilian MMA star Paulo Costa was suspended for six months in April 2019 after he was caught using an IV.
Hooker didn’t make clear where the basis of his allegations stemmed from, however, he is close to Volkanovski’s camp as a fellow member of City Kickboxing.
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SPORTbible reached out to UFC for comment.
Featured Image Credit: Px Images / Alamy.Topics: UFC, MMA, Dan Hooker, Alexander Volkanoski
