Dan Hooker lobbed wild accusations at Islam Makhachev for cheating in the wake of his win over Alexander Volkanovski following UFC 284.
The veteran UFC lightweight, who actually lost to Makhachev back in 2021, claimed that the Russian hired a nurse to administer an IV to help him rehydrate after his weight cut. Hooker went as far as stating “Islam is a cheat” while also blasting the United States Anti-Doping Agency for doing “f*** all” afterwards.
Islam is a cheat. https://t.co/bIdk13C26P — Dan Hangman Hooker (@danthehangman) February 13, 2023
To date, no evidence has ever been provided to show that Makhachev did anything illegal but even if he did take an IV to rehydrate after weigh-ins, UFC welterweight Matt Brown isn’t confident it would have really changed the outcome of the fight.
“I don’t think it actually makes a difference personally,” Brown said on The Fighter vs. The Writer. “I’ve dropped pretty significant amounts of weight with or without IV’s and I don’t think ultimately it does make a difference.”
Ever since the UFC instituted an anti-doping policy, fighters are restricted from the use of IV’s outside of strict parameters that must be followed or risk potential punishment as a result.
In a statement sent to MMA Fighting in response to the allegations made by Hooker, USADA representatives said all accusations are investigated while also providing additional information about IV use for fighters.
“USADA takes all reports of possible violations seriously and we actively follow up on all information we receive,” USADA officials stated.
“Under the UFC Prohibited List, all IV infusions and/or injections of more than 100 mL per 12-hour period are prohibited at all times, except for those legitimately received in the course of hospital admissions, surgical procedures or clinical diagnostic investigations, and/or those received in-competition or out-of-competition that are determined to be medically-justified and within the standard of care by a licensed physician and administered by a licensed medical professional, without an approved Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE). If a prohibited substance of any amount is administered intravenously by infusion or injection, a TUE is required for this prohibited substance regardless of the volume of the infusion or injection or the circumstances of administration.
Brown says he almost always used IV’s rehydrate after weigh-ins prior to the introduction of the UFC’s anti-doping policy. In fact, he actually learned how to give himself the IV so he wouldn’t even need a nurse or other medical professional to help him with the injections.
That all stopped once USADA came on board to administer the UFC’s anti-doping program and Brown hasn’t used an IV since then but it’s never once affected his performance in the cage.
“From what I understand, the IV’s help you immediately within like a couple of hours and they rehydrate you quicker than you would just drinking, but over a 24-hour period, it doesn’t actually change anything anyway,” Brown explained. “Now that’s what the scientific community’s going to tell you. The research that has been done, that’s what it has shown. Your rehydration is basically identical after 24 hours whether you did an IV or not.
“Now, the feeling that you get after getting that IV and feeling refreshed pretty quickly and your weight comes back and you’re able to digest foods, and you’re peeing again, I think it is a good feeling. Even it’s just a placebo thing, it is a good feeling and it is beneficial mentally.”
Brown admits that using an IV was a bonus after weigh-ins, but outside of potentially spiking the cocktail with other substances, he never felt any different the next day as he was getting ready to fight.
While he obviously can’t speak for Makhachev much less presume what he was doing after his own weight cut, Brown never personally felt like the IV gave him some kind of competitive advantage over an opponent.
“To me it never made a difference,” Brown said. “Maybe for some guys it does make a difference to be refreshed better because now you’re back to whether it’s 80, 90, 100 percent of yourself within a couple of hours versus maybe six, seven, or eight hours without having an IV. Maybe that makes a difference. Maybe you digest your food a little better.
“I’m not sure but for me, I never noticed a difference. When they took away IV’s, it didn’t bother me at all.”
Brown added that if anything, using an IV might serve as a mental crutch for a fighter because quicker rehydration may make a person feel like they’re suddenly supercharged but in reality the physical advantages aren’t that great, especially 24 hours later.
“The one difference I did notice, I would get back to weight quicker,” Brown said. “When we’d back to the hotel and check your weight just for fun like how much did I put on and I’d put on 15 or 20 pounds sometimes within two or three hours of weighing in. I’m weighing 185 to 190 pounds after weighing 171 pounds two hours before. With IV’s it’s pretty obvious, your weight’s going to come back on a lot quicker. Your body’s going to soak that up a lot quicker than when you just start drinking water.
“Placebo effect is real. It’s just as strong as the real thing. So if it makes people believe that they’re actually getting benefits from it, then they’re probably actually getting benefits from it.”
Of course, Brown has also heard other fighters tell him horror stories about using an IV versus those who have benefitted from the practice. Either way, Brown knows from his own history that IV’s never really made that much of a difference for him — at least where the fight was concerned.
“I’ve heard people say they felt worse after an IV,” Brown said. “That they felt bloated and I would guess that those people probably took too much IV. They probably took like three or four bags and just overdid it. Fighters are extremists so this is a normal thing. I’ve heard people say that after they weren’t allowed to do IV’s that they didn’t feel right ever again. I’ve heard both ends of that spectrum. I think a lot of it comes down to your own focus. Like if you’re thinking about it, there’s the placebo effect probably going on.
“To me, I’ve never noticed a difference. That’s about as far as I can comment on it because I can only go on my own experience.”