Not guilty!
Despite accusations of pre-fighting cheating, stemming from a tweet by UFC lightweight Dan Hooker, the Western Australia athletic commission found no evidence that current 155-pound champion Islam Makhachev broke the rules ahead of his UFC 284 main event against Alexander Volkanovski.
“The Commission has no conclusive evidence that any athlete at the UFC 284 event held at RAC Arena has breached WADA or the commission’s policies,” Western Australia Combat Sport Commission Chair Bob Kucera told MMA Fighting. “The Commission has not received a complaint relating to any athlete at the UFC 284 event held at RAC Arena. The Commission invites anyone with any relevant information to contact us.”
Makhachev was accused of using an unauthorized intravenous line (IV) to rehydrate following his “killer” weight cut. The promotion later attempted to clarify the rules, which have undergone some changes in the last few years, leading to additional discourse on the merits of pre-fight IV use.
For much more on the Makhachev-Volkanovski IV drama click here.