Dan Hooker and 4 other UFC fighters who accused other fighters of cheating

The UFC has made great strides in trying to create a level playing field for its athletes. The introduction of USADA has led to a multitude of UFC fighters being revealed to have taken illegally banned substances, some of which were performance-enhancing drugs.

Thus, a few fighters have earned the reputation of being cheaters. TJ Dillashaw, for example, saw his legacy become heavily tarnished due to his positive drug test for erythropoietin, which is more popularly known as EPO. Sometimes, however, there is no evidence to suggest that a specific fighter is guilty of cheating.

Regardless, this has never stopped other fighters from accusing their roster mates. Due to recent events after UFC 284 involving Dan Hooker and Islam Makhachev, this list looks at their situation and four other times when a fighter accused another mixed martial artist of cheating.

#5. Robert Whittaker suspects Yoel Romero of cheating after UFC 225

UFC 225 hosted a highly anticipated rematch between Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero. Their bout ended via split decision, with 'The Reaper' declared the winner. In an interview on Grange TV's The Fair One Podcast, the former middleweight champion expressed his concerns about 'The Soldier of God'.

He spoke about Romero's disastrous weight cut, which led to the Cuban missing weight for their bout. He looked gaunt and sunken and near death's door. But on fight night, he not only looked fully rehydrated, but he was able to effortlessly absorb Whittaker's blows, which is unusual.

This was all noted by 'The Reaper', who expressed his curiosity about Romero's rehydration program that allowed him to impressively walk through punches. He further described his foe as feeling like concrete before claiming that he didn't feel like that before.

Whittaker further expressed his doubts about the physical changes Romero underwent in merely one year at the age of 40. The former champion claimed that Romero hit much harder than he recalled and felt like a much stronger and better athlete. This caused him to sarcastically wonder if Romero resorted to magic.

#4. The Diaz brothers accuse Georges St-Pierre of steroids and of poisoning Nick Diaz

Nick Diaz is one of the most interesting personalities in MMA history. At UFC 158, Stockton's finest faced Georges St-Pierre for the Canadian's then-welterweight title. Unfortunately, the former Strikeforce welterweight champion was unsuccessful and lost to 'GSP' in a lopsided unanimous decision.

While most fans and analysts have explained away Diaz's performance as simply being due to facing a superior fighter. This, however, was not what Stockton's finest believed. Instead, he made the damning claim that 'GSP' poisoned his IV, which allegedly made him sluggish.

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Not only did Nick Diaz's trainer, Richard Perez, corroborate his claims, but the former Strikeforce welterweight titleholder's younger brother made another accusation. After UFC president Dana White expressed an interest in booking a lightweight matchup between Nate Diaz and 'GSP', another accusation arose.

He rejected White's offer before accusing the Canadian great of having taken steroids prior to facing his older brother at UFC 185.

#3. Andrei Arlovski accuses former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou of taking steroids

Back in 2017, Francis Ngannou was a rising prospect in the heavyweight division. Meanwhile, Andrei Arlovski was a former heavyweight champion who was on a three-fight losing streak at the time. The pair were scheduled to fight in the UFC on Fox 23. Given Arlovski's questionable durability, the bout's result was predictable.

Andrei Arlovski accuses Francis Ngannou of doing steroids Follow Us on Instagram : ift.tt/3fQpgVh

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Ngannou's nuclear knockout power crushed his foe within a minute of their bout's start. Years later, the promotion uploaded an Instagram post praising 'The Predator' as one of the scariest fighters in the promotion's history. The post also featured cutout images of the heads of Ngannou's highest-profile victims.

Among these was Arlovski himself. This apparently caused him to leave a comment under the post. He blatantly accused Ngannou of taking performance-enhancing drugs by labeling him a steroid f*ck. Arlovski never provided evidence for his accusation and it simply died down.

#2. BJ Penn accuses Georges St-Pierre of greasing after UFC 94

At UFC 94, BJ Penn sought to make MMA history by becoming the first simultaneous two-division champion in the promotion. Back then, he was the reigning lightweight champion. His obstacle was Georges St-Pierre, who held the welterweight crown that 'The Prodigy' sought.

@KingSYMMA @CasualufcA 3-4 years to clear the system and everyone has been using IVs it helps you rehydrate, how about gsp and Vaseline? https://t.co/Ueqi9lv1hD

Their bout was a rematch of a highly competitive fight. Penn was the loser of the split decision and was in search of redemption. But as the rematch took place, the fight was anything but competitive. Unfortunately, between the first and second rounds, controversy arose.

One of 'GSP's' cornermen was seen rubbing the Canadian's back and shoulders with Vaseline. This rendered him slippery and gave him an unfair advantage, according to Penn. The Hawaiian eventually lost in a fourth-round TKO, but he later accused 'GSP' of cheating, prompting the NSAC to act, but nothing ever came of it.

#1. Dan Hooker accuses Islam Makhachev of illegally using an IV prior to UFC 284

Recently, Alexander Volkanovski failed to dethrone Islam Makhachev for the lightweight throne. It was a closely-contested bout that many fans and fighters questioned, with some even labeling it a robbery. The most damning event after the bout, however, was the work of Dan Hooker.

🚨| Dan Hooker has accused Islam Makhachev of hiring a private nurse to administer an IV following his #UFC284 weigh cut.

IV infusions are banned in the UFC for rehydration use during weight cuts.

Below are the UFC’s policy on the use of IV infusions👇👇👇

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'The Hangman' has history with the Dagestani phenom, having once crossed swords with him at UFC 267. After his teammate's failure to defeat him, Hooker took to Twitter to accuse Makhachev of cheating. USADA banned the use of IVs of more than 100 ml over a 12-hour period.

Hooker took to Twitter to accuse Makhachev of hiring a nurse to administer an IV which allegedly helped him rehydrate from a poor weight cut. He branded him a cheater while asserting that he wouldn't have won had he not cheated.