UFC heavyweight signee and Olympian Bilyal Makhov discussed the meldonium doping scandal that overwhelmed Russia over the past month.
Bilyal Makhov, the 6’5″ 290-pound Russian wrestling icon and UFC signee, has been involved in competitive sport for the vast majority of his life. The 0-0 UFC signee, who is expected to participate in the 2016 Rio Olympics, is a multi-time freestyle wrestling champion, and even won dual bronze medals in Greco-Roman and Freestyle wrestling at the Worlds last year.
Given his experience at the elite sporting level, Makhov has seen his fair share of doping.
The latest doping scandal is related to Meldonium, which is a blood-flow substance that helps expand exercise capacity. The substance was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency on Jan. 1, 2016, yet more than 123 positive tests for Meldonium have occurred since the ban went into effect. The scandal mainly affected players from the Russian Federation or former Soviet-bloc nations. The most notable positive test was that of five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova.
The scandal is believed to have impacted Russia’s wrestling team as well. According to Makhov, the blame almost certainly falls on the athletes who ingested the substances.
“The athlete must be careful,” Makhov told Sovsport.ru. “The professional must know for sure what he drinks and eats. Based on my experience of being poisoned, I can say that you will not find the guilty party. So the consequences is that you will only experience the failure yourself. Meldonium or “Mildronat” is all the same — in the end, it will be the athlete’s fault.
“Therefore, it is necessary to be extremely careful. God saves the man who save himself.”
Makhov’s mention of “poison” is in reference to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where the freestyle wrestler was on his way to conquering the 125kg division. However, during the event, Makhov felt unwell as was rushed to the local hospital. It was confirmed that he was somehow consumed a dose of mercury vapour that would have killed a regular human being. Mkahov eventually made a full comeback for the 2012 Olympic games.
The Dagestan native is expected to compete in the Russian Freestyle Wrestling Championship in Yakutsk – 450 kilometres south of the Arctic circle.