Did Islam Makhachev cheat against Alex Volkanovski? What are the IV rules regarding weight cuts?

In his title defence against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 on Saturday, Islam Makhachev is said to have utilised unfair tactics. Dan Hooker, a teammate of Volkanovski’s from City Kickboxing, said Makhachev utilised intravenous (IV) injections to rehydrate prior to the fight.

Makhachev had to endure a difficult weight reduction before the main event of UFC 284. There have been rumours that the Dagestani fighter received IV injections to rehydrate himself before the battle, according to Hooker.

In a pre-UFC 284 interview, Volkanovski himself had also hinted to Islam Makhachev’s IV use. If IV use is detected, fighters may be subject to a two-year suspension under USADA rules. their official website states.

If the volume supplied surpasses 100 mL within a 12-hour period, intravenous infusions and injections are prohibited as a method both in-competition and out-of-competition.
If the fluid intake for a fighter exceeds 100 ml in 12 hours, a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) is required.

Rizwan Magomedov, a co-manager for Islam Makhachev, refuted all claims of cheating and attributed Hooker’s actions to being a bitter loser.

Could Islam Makhachev have cheated with IV use?

Although it is a less well-known phenomena, MMA fighters have long used intravenous salines to hydrate themselves. In 2015, the USADA outlawed the practise and even dispatched staff to gyms to inform fighters of the prohibition.

Even the fighters at the ATT facility appeared to be in conflict with the officials.

The largest point of controversy is still IV rehydration, but there were other things that the prohibition was initially intended to affect. During an appearance on The MMA Hour, USADA CEO Travis Tygart asserted that receiving IV infusions of someone else’s blood might have revolutionary effects.

Tygart added that athletes had successfully manipulated their test results by using saline injections soon before the exam. The USADA chief gave the following explanation of the IV ban’s primary justification:

“Because it is prohibited to insert a bag of saline over 50 ml, for example, doing so could potentially hide or change the results of the blood test that was performed. Additionally, there were instances where athletes would inject saline into their arm as they noticed blood collectors approaching to take their blood. They only recently included a 15-minute reporting delay. So, the rule’s real motivation was to achieve that.” Bloodyelbow.com h/t
Islam Makhachev is one of the most tested UFC fighters this year, so even if he did use IV to refill, it is unlikely that he would have utilised it for more malicious motives.

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