Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
That’s according to rising UFC lightweight sensation Benoit Saint Denis, who could be on a collision course with reigning 155-pound champion Islam Makhachev. But the Parisian “God of War” is convinced Team Nurmagomedov has been playing dirty since day one.
Makhachev is coached by his longtime friend and mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, widely-recognized as one of the best lightweight champions in UFC history.
“Concerning the Nurmagomedov family, for example, I no longer have any doubt: they are loaded like mules,” Saint Denis, 27, told Le Figaro. “They are intelligent in the way they do drugs, but they know how to do it very well. Makhachev was busted with meldonium, for example. It is a product which led to the entire Russian federation being sanctioned and withdrawn from the 2016 Olympic Games. The current UFC lightweight champion was caught in 2016!”
Makhachev was previously flagged for “extremely low meldonium concentration” during an out-of-competition drug test, which led to a provisional suspension and the cancelation of his Drew Dober fight at UFC on FOX 19. Shortly thereafter, Makhachev was found to be “without fault or negligence” and promptly reinstated.
“The problem is that it is a business sport and a spectator sport,” Saint Denis continued. “The UFC is an American organization. Americans don’t have the same relationship with hormones and doping as we do. For example, for basketball players and American football there is ‘off season’ and ‘on season’. The guys will only play for six months, and for the other six they will prepare for the season; there, they will have periods where they will not be subject to controls, and where they will unfortunately have freedom of products. This is something that existed in the UFC before the partnership with USADA, which arrived in 2016. All the monsters who were there before, even if they stopped the products and lost many of the positive effects, keep traces of them in the body. It is modified, a bit like RNA with the Covid vaccine. I want to be able to look at myself in the mirror at the end of my career. If that doesn’t allow me to take the final steps, so be it. I will have stayed clean.”
Usman Nurmagomedov, cousin of Khabib, tested positive for banned substances and was suspended by California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) early last month after his unanimous decision victory over Brent Primus at Bellator 300 (which has since been overturned).
“Now I will always have my conscience to myself,” Saint Denis said. “Faith helps me a lot. If I pursued a career with doping, I would betray my faith, my family, the values ??in which I believe. This is unacceptable. I want to be able to look at myself in the mirror at the end of my career. If that doesn’t allow me to take the final steps, so be it. I will have stayed clean. The most important thing for me is to remain a trustworthy person for my friends, my family, and to be able to educate my children with values ??in which I believe. In any case, glory is fleeting. I will go as far as I can with my weapons. Natural weapons; intellectualize my discipline as much as possible, and have fun.”
The No. 12-ranked Saint Denis (13-1, 1 NC), fresh off his knockout win over Matt Frevola, is expected to make his UFC return in early 2024.