“It Was Islam Makhachev That Took IV”: Months After Slamming Accusations on Dagestani Camp, Dan Hooker Doubles Down on Controversial Turn of Events at UFC 284

The main event of UFC 284 was arguably one of the best fights of the year. Alexander Volkanovski took on Islam Makhachev in his first-ever lightweight bout for the championship, which the Dagestani won. However, ‘The Great’s teammate Dan Hooker later accused Islam Makhachev of using IV fluids during the bout.

Dan Hooker made an appearance on Ariel Helwani‘s ‘MMA Hour’ show as he gears up to fight Jalin Turner at UFC 290. He was hit with the question about the accusations he made against the reigning lightweight champion. However, it appears that ‘The Hangman’ has no regrets.

Dan Hooker has no regrets about the accusation he made against Islam Makhachev

‘The Hangman’ addressed the issue during the interview and claimed that it was his opinion. He thought there was an illegal use of IV fluids and he had to give his take on the issue. He was sure that Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s protégé used that illegal substance.

Hooker said, “A 100 percent. In my opinion, it was Islam Makhachev that took the IV. That’s like my opinion.” Moreover, he believes that there is a general misconception about the rules surrounding IV. Even Dan Hooker isn’t aware of those rules. He added, “There’s still a lot of like misunderstanding about the extra rule. I couldn’t even tell you the extra rule.”

Dan Hooker also mentioned that there isn’t any problem if USADA allows a nurse to inject an IV. However, if the local commissions do not agree with the injection of that substance, then it cannot be administered. “USADA’s like absolutely fine if you get a nurse to do it. But then like, most commissions, it comes down to like the local commission. It’s obviously not allowed in Australia.”

‘The Hangman’ was defending his teammate

Dan Hooker isn’t sure about Islam Makhachev’s intentions behind the use of IV. However, it all comes down to the understanding of the rules regarding the substance. Most people believe that if USADA’s okay with it, then they don’t hesitate to use the substance. He said, “Do I believe that it was truly like malicious cheating? I think it might have been like a misunderstanding of the extra ruling because it’s quite unclear.”

Additionally, the 12th-ranked lightweight fighter doesn’t regret slamming Makhachev with those accusations. He said, “Do I regret saying it? There’s no way.” Furthermore, he explained that he will never hesitate to raise his voice to defend his teammate and save him from getting cheated during a fight. “If you’re facing my team and you’re doing anything untoward and I find out about it, Imma put you on blast.”

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Apart from the IV saga, Dan Hooker would look to get back on track this weekend. Jalin Turner may not be an easy opponent to take on since he has lost only one out of his last six fights. A win for any of the fighters will help them inch closer to title contention. We will have to wait and see how that follows and if Dan Hooker ever gets to fight Islam Makhachev for the title.

What do you make of Hooker’s comments? Let us know in the comments section below.

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