- One of the biggest UFC fights of all time may be shrouded in controversy.
- Islam Makhachev may have used an illegal tactic ahead of Saturday's UFC 284 event, Dan Hooker said.
One of the most significant fights in UFC history is descending into controversy as star lightweight Dan Hooker accused pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter Islam Makhachev of using an outlawed strategy ahead of his latest bout.
Makhachev flew to Perth, Australia, to headline a UFC 284 event Saturday against UFC featherweight ruler Alexander Volkanovski.
UFC President Dana White told Insider ahead of the show that it was the first time in history that the No. 1 in the roster was going to fight the No. 2 when both competitors were arguably at the peak of their powers.
The fight itself did not disappoint as fans at the RAC Arena, and those watching on ESPN pay-per-view at home were treated to highly skilled exchanges between two of the top athletes in combat sports.
Ultimately, it was a fight Makhachev edged out. However, Hooker tweeted after the event that the Russian wrestler used an IV to help him rehydrate after making weight.
This is against the rules of mixed martial arts after UFC's anti-doping partner USADA outlawed it in 2015.
Makhachev "thinks he can fly to Australia, hire a nurse to give him an IV, and we won't find out," New Zealand's Hooker said, without providing evidence, on Monday. "Cheating dog."
He added in a separate tweet: "He doesn't cheat, he doesn't win," ostensibly referring to the mega-fight against Volkanovski.
—Dan Hangman Hooker (@danthehangman) February 13, 2023
One of Hooker's followers asked who he was talking about, and he specifically said: "Islam is a cheat."
Rizvan Magomedov, one of Makhachev's managers, categorically denied the allegations to MMA Junkie in a statement.
"We all know this is completely BS," Magomedov said. "The guy is a loser. He's salty and just looking for attention, and that's it."
Volkanovski said similar in an apparent joke
In an interview that was filmed before Hooker tweeted his claims, Volkanovski appeared to say something similar to Ariel Helwani on MMA Fighting's MMA Hour show.
Responding to a question about what he thinks Makhachev weighed on fight night, after rehydrating, Volkanovski said: "I've heard he gets up to 180."
Somebody off-camera appears to say something to Volkanovski, who then said, while raising one of his eyebrows, that: "You fill up pretty quick after IVs, and stuff like that."
Though Makhachev won the fight, there may be a second shot at a championship in a second weight class for Volkanovski, as there has been talk of a rematch.
It is unclear, though, if a do-over will get booked straight away, or if Volkanovski would have to work his way back up to Makhachev at lightweight by defending his own title, at featherweight, first.