‘Cheating dog’: UFC star makes bombshell claim against Volk rival after controversial win

UFC star Dan Hooker has sensationally branded lightweight champion Islam Makhachev a “cheating dog” and accused the Russian of using an intravenous (IV) infusion to help him rehydrate before his fight against Alexander Volkanovski.

Makhachev prevailed over the Australian superstar via unanimous decision on Sunday at UFC 284 in an epic five-round battle, although Volkanovski felt he was “robbed” on the scorecards.

Going into the fight, Makhachev had to fully strip off on the scales for the weigh-in and had tears in his eyes once he had made weight, highlighting what was a strenuous camp for the champion.

However, Hooker took to Twitter on Monday night to make the bombshell claims that have sent shockwaves through the MMA community.

At first, Hooker did not directly name Makhachev in any of his initial tweets.

“Dumb c*** thinks he can fly to Australia to hire a nurse to give him an I.V and we won’t find out,” Hooker wrote.

“Cheating dog.”

In separate tweets, Hooker asked for fans to “prove me wrong”, insisting they wouldn’t be able to.

The New Zealander added: “He doesn’t cheat, he doesn’t win.”

Then, responding to a Twitter user asking who he was talking about, Hooker named the Russian: “Islam is a cheat.”

Hooker is a teammate of Volkanovski’s at City Kickboxing, which boasts a stable including former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and flyweight contender Kai Kara-France.

The US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), recognised as the official anti-doping agency for the UFC, banned the use of IV therapy for fighters to rehydrate back in 2019 with the ban “designed to protect clean sport and athlete health and safety.”

Fighters who are caught using IV face potential two-year bans from the UFC.

Brazilian star Paulo Costa, the No. 6 middleweight who fought for the title in 2020, was suspended for six months in April 2019 after he was caught using IV.