Did Islam Makhachev use banned substance for his match at UFC 284?

After successfully defending his title against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284, Dan Hooker shocked the MMA community by accusing Islam Makhachev of cheating. 'The Hangman' accused Makhachev of taking an intravenous (IV) injection to rehydrate himself after the weigh-ins.

In the UFC main event last weekend at the RAC Arena in Perth, Islam Makhachev successfully defended his championship against featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski following a brutal five-round contest.

Dan Hooker, a longtime friend and teammate of Alexander Volkanovski at City Kickboxing, recently attacked Islam Makhachev on Twitter. He claimed that the Islam and his team paid a physician on a private basis to administer the IV fluids.

Volkanovski recently talked about his weight during his superfight with Makhachev and jokingly admitted the idea that his opponent may have used an IV to rehydrate in an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour.

"178-180 lbs. That's what I think he would have been. I've heard that he gets up to like 83 kgs. You fuel up pretty quick with IVs and stuff like that... Maybe that's a little shot at him."

While the camp of the lightweight champion responded to the accusations, some astute spectators noticed significant marks on Makhachev's arms in pictures taken prior to the match. Rizwan Magomedov, the co-manager of the 31-year-old Dagestani, has provided an explanation for these pictures.

After a Twitter user shared an image of such marks on Islam Makhachev's arm, Magomedov responded with a quote-tweet. He added that the marks were from tests that were required to be taken during fight week.

"Mandatory blood test by AUS commission, Wednesday morning right before media and photo shoot. Ask Hooker find the nurse with the commission, she can confirm."

In 2019, the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) prohibited UFC fighters from using IVs, with the caveat that they might do it "in the course of hospital admissions, surgical operations, or clinical investigations."

Hooker (22-12 MMA, 12-8 UFC), who was in Perth to support his teammate's attempt to hold two championships simultaneously, has a past relationship with Makhachev.

At UFC 267 in October 2021, Makhachev defeated Hooker by submission in the opening round.