Breaking: Islam Makhachev's manager deletes tweet after admitting that Russian used IV ahead of UFC 284
Following his win over Alexander Volkanovski, controversy arose when Islam Makhachev was accused of illegally using an IV in the build-up to his huge lightweight title fight at UFC 294, and his manager may have just confirmed that.
The Dagestani battled his way to a closely contested unanimous decision victory over the Australian last time out, but his dominant aura has somewhat vanished since. Despite beating the No.1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, the lightweight showed holes in his game, making him look more human than ever before.
In a now-deleted series of posts on social media, Ali Abdelaziz may have just unintentionally sabotaged his client after mistakenly claiming fighters are allowed to take 2-3 liters of IV in the rehydration process if done by a professional:
"For all those idiots out there, any fighter under the UFC banner can take 2-3 liters of IV as long as it's done by a nurse or a professional. Next week, I'm gonna expose everybody. Islam Makhachev is the pound-for-pound king."
Although he sounded convincing in his speech, this doesn't seem to be the case and Ariel Helwani took the time to address the comments made that almost certainly jeopardize Makhachev's championship status, saying:
"He deleted it [the tweet] because someone, I would think, told him he was incriminating himself with this tweet. You can't take 2-3 L by a professional or not. It's 100 ml per 12 hours [among other details]. Massive difference."
Dan Hooker was the first to accuse the 155lb titleholder of cheating prior to his blockbuster matchup on February 11, and it seems this could be just the beginning of a huge and potentially vital investigation by the UFC and USADA.
so Islam cheated???? https://t.co/1gfUwDWRA1
If Islam Makhachev has cheated, what does this mean for the lightweight division?
While it's all speculation at the moment, if Islam Makhachev has in fact used an excessive amount of IV to help him recover from his weight cut, he will, of course, be forced to vacate his lightweight title.
If this is the case and the Russian is stripped of his world championship, there are a handful of contenders who would be viable options to step up and fight for the throne.
Beneil Dariush and Charles Oliveira's rumored clash could then be made into a title fight, though Justin Gaethje, Rafael Fiziev, and TUF coaches Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler could all be called upon by the UFC.