Remember when Joe Rogan said, “They’re [drug testing officials] not traveling to the mountains of Dagestan to give people p–s test?” Things were never easy for the Dagestani fighters. Training on top of the mountains did not just help their conditioning; it also cast shadows of doubt on top of them. Several doping allegations have tarnished their public image over the years. Even Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev were not free from such allegations. But is that the reason why many athletes go to faraway lands for their training?

In episode #2239 of the Joe Rogan Experience, the 57-year-old podcaster invited Derek Munro of More Plates More Dates to the studio. As the 3-hour-long conversation continued, Rogan pointed out the dark reality of fighters training in inaccessible lands. He said, “Well, the MMA conspiracy theorists, they always point to like people doing camps in like faraway lands. Like, what a good way to cheat, you know, because if you want to go to a camp in Dagestan, like how many times is USADA going to Dagestan? And what happens to those guys when they get over there and they get smacked up by those bearded dudes? Imagine telling those guys to wake up at 6 o’clock in the morning. They’ll feed you to their goats. Like what are you talking about?”

They’d simply ask the fighters to come back the next day, Munro replied in a sarcastic tone. Despite being out of USADA’s reach, there are times when dr-g testing officials go up the mountains to test the fighters. But it seldom happened when they failed a test. Well, the JRE host has a theory for that. He continued, “Also they probably know when you’re there. They probably got that town wired.”  

Joe Rogan has often commented on the Dagestani fighters’ failed dr-g tests. The UFC color commentator also commented on Makhachev failing a doping test. Let’s jump in and find out all about the Dagestani team’s troubles with dr-g testing.

Joe Rogan weighs in on Islam Makhachev’s failed dr-g test

Back in 2023, Islam Makhachev faced quite some heat from the MMA community because of allegations running wild that claimed he used IV fluids to flush out PEDs. During a conversation with Ari Shaffir, Rogan pointed out that the UFC 284 weigh-ins were absolutely illegal. He said, “Yeah, it’s illegal. It’s part of USADA because you could mask PEDs with an IV. So if you take certain PEDs you can flush your system out with IV and take a p–s test, it won’t show up.” But as far as Makhachev’s involvement was concerned, the UFC color commentator wasn’t sure of it. He continued, “They say that they caught him, they say they know. But I haven’t seen anything yet. So, until then, I don’t know.”

Earlier in 2016, the lightweight champ tested positive for trace amounts of meldonium. What can we say? Reports suggest that more than 30 Russian athletes tested positive for the dr-g. However, it was a colossal mistake on USADA’s part. Meldonium was added to the list of banned substances in January 2016 but was allowed to be used before that. But come UFC on FOX 16, the doping agencies found traces of meldonium in Makhachev’s system. It was later revealed that the Dagestani champ was administered meldonium to treat his frequent episodes of ventricular arrhythmia. USADA later cleared the lightweight champ, stating that meldonium was a banned substance before 2016. But the damage was already done.

Usman Nurmagomedov, the Dagestani teammate who has been making waves at Bellator FC was also accused of PED abuse. He faced a $50 thousand fine and was suspended for 6 months. However, the Bellator champ stood adamant in claiming that it was all because of his medications. He said, “We have a deal with California Commission, and I cannot tell to media or someone, but it was medication. If it were a steroid, they have to say, ‘This was a ste–id.’ And they have to give me more time for suspension. They have to give me like one year, two year, and we have example from other guys. It was medication, and this was like nothing.”

Even Khabib Nurmagomedov wasn’t free from such allegations. Judging from the harsh weight cuts, many fans and professionals believed that the former lightweight king relied on PEDs. But he never really tested positive for any banned substance. Apart from Makhachev and Usman Nurmagomedov, two other members of the Dagestani team, Ruslan Magomedov, and Zubaira Tukhugov, had tested positive for a banned substance and were handed a 2-year suspension in 2018 for samples collected in 2016.

What do you think of Rogan’s assessment of doping tests in Dagestan? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.