"The Russian be cheating right now" - Islam Makhachev accused of foul play after "behind the scenes" experience by UFC lightweight
UFC lightweight Bobby Green has accused champion Islam Makhachev of being a drug cheat, citing that he has witnessed incriminating behaviour behind the scenes.
'King' has previously faced Makhachev in the octagon, losing out to the Russian fighter via a first-round KO back in February last year. Makhachev has since gone on to become the 155lb champ, whilst Green has picked up a win over Tony Ferguson.
Recently, ahead of his UFC Vegas 80 main event against Grant Dawson this weekend, Bobby Green appeared on the JAXXON podcast with Rampage Jackson. The UFC lightweight was then asked for his prediction for UFC 294, when Islam Makhachev will defend his title against Charles Oliveira.
'King' predicted a win for the Russian fighter, but stated that his pick comes from the belief that Islam Makhachev is likely cheating. Green explained:
“I’m gonna go with Islam [against Oliveira] and the only reason I’ll say that is ... you should be on the motherf**ker...The Russian be cheating right now. You should see behind the scenes. Why do they keep sending ‘em over to Abu Dhabi, you know what I mean?"
He continued:
"For instance, Khabib [Nurmagomedov] and Islam and them, they go to a mosque. They train in some place where you can’t be and USADA can’t go, you can’t come in here. For months they can do whatever they wanna do.”
Catch Bobby Green's comments here (1:37:00):
Islam Makhachev accuses Charles Oliveira of trying to avoid rematch at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi
Islam Makhachev is set to defend his lightweight title against Charles Oliveria on October 21 in Abu Dhabi. Their bout marks almost a year to the day that they first fought, which saw the Russian fighter submit Oliveira in the second-round.
Before their rematch was announced, it appeared as though the UFC were struggling to find an opponent who was willing to face Makhachev. When it was eventually revealed to be Oliveira again, fans speculated that he was forced to accept the fight.
Islam Makhachev appears to have confirmed the speculation and accused Oliveira of trying to dodge their rematch. In a recent interview with ESPN MMA, Makhachev stated:
"I don't think [Oliveira] believes [he can win the rematch], because he tried to [run away] from this fight, but the UFC told him, 'Hey man, you have to come to Abu Dhabi and fight for the belt.' And that's it. He tried to leave, he tried to move the fight to Brazil, but in the end he did what the UFC say. Same for me, what the UFC told me, I did."
Catch Makhachev's comments here (4:15):