The best fighter on the planet cheated? Makhachev allegedly doped his way to victory over Volkanovskiy

Nobody may agree with it, nobody may like it, but Islam Makhachev is currently the best fighter on the planet. At least according to the UFC’s P4P rankings. He earned it with a win over Alexander Volkanovski. But now his former opponent has accused him of doping.

A fight not only for the lightweight title, but also for the top spot in the P4P rankings. That was the duel between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski. One of the greatest duels in UFC history was eventually dominated on points by the Dagestani.

The result is still very much up for debate though. In fact, there are many fighters or experts who saw the Australian win. Even the statistics site Verdict MMA. However, it is quite possible that there will be a rematch. At least neither fighter is defending it.

It’s just that one snag could potentially prevent it. While still in the realm of science fiction, it certainly shouldn’t be underestimated. For Makhachev’s former opponent Dan Hooker has accused the champion of cheating.

According to Hooker, the Dagestani brought a nurse as an escort to Australia to administer intravenous infusions or injections after he had trouble losing weight. Yet such infusions are banned by anti-doping body USADA.

“Intravenous infusions/injections are prohibited because they can enhance performance by increasing plasma volume levels. They can also mask the use of prohibited substances and misrepresent an athlete’s biological passport values,” the USADA website reads.

Prove me wrong, Hooker urges

Among other things, Hooker tweeted an article from 2015, when several fighters were then punished with a two-year stop sign for this type of cheating. “Prove me wrong. I bet you can’t prove it,” he added.

But the allegations made by Hooker so far are meaningless unless he himself has concrete proof. Moreover, USADA is said to be able to determine if the aforementioned infusions occurred with the help of blood tests.

However, if Hooker’s words can somehow be confirmed, Makhachev could face punishment in the form of suspension or revocation of his title.

Source: Dan Hooker, Twitter, USADA, UFC