‘Incriminating himself’: UFC champ’s manager called out over deleted tweet amid cheating saga

Veteran MMA journalist Ariel Helwani believes the manager of Islam Makhachev was “incriminating himself” in a now-deleted tweet as the Russian’s IV saga took another twist.

Makhachev defeated Australian UFC star Alexander Volkanovski last Sunday at UFC 284 to retain the lightweight championship in a thrilling five-round battle that was closely contested.

However, the dust had barely settled on the fight when Volkanovski’s teammate Dan Hooker branded Makhachev a “cheating dog” and alleged he illegally used an IV drip to aid the rehydration process after cutting weight.

Makhachev and his co-manager Rizvan Magomedov hit back at the Kiwi through social media, claiming he is “salty and just looking for attention” and called Hooker a “loser.”

Ali Abdelaziz, CEO of Dominance MMA Management and the manager of UFC stars like Makhachev, Kamaru Usman and Justin Gaethje, then weighed in on the IV scandal.

“For all those idiots out there, any fighter under the UFC banner can take 2-3 litres of IV as long as it’s done by a nurse or professional,” Abdelaziz wrote on Twitter, adding he was “gonna expose everybody” next week.

However, Abdelaziz has since taken down the post and Helwani believes it was a case of Abdelaziz being informed he had the wrong information.

“He deleted it because someone, I would think, told him he was incriminating himself with this tweet,” Helwani wrote.

“You can’t take 2-3 L by a professional or not. It’s 100ml per 12 hours (among other details). Massive difference.”

In addition, eagle-eyed UFC fans have pointed out that the use of IV therapy is banned by the Western Australia Combat Sports Commission, who oversaw the UFC event in Perth.

In the WACSC’s publication titled Contest Safety Strategy to Address Rapid Weight Loss by Dehydration, it states the governing body “prohibits the use of intravenous therapies which are used for aiding rehydration from excessive and deliberate dehydration.”

The WACSC’s stance on IV usage differs from the UFC’s, per ESPN MMA journalist Brett Okamoto.

Okamoto posted that according to the UFC and USADA handbook, fighters are permitted to use IV as long as it’s “determined to be medically justified and within the standard of care by a licensed physician and administered by a licensed medical professional.”

He added: “If an athlete is administer an IV of more than the permitted 100mL, as long as it’s done by a licensed pro it is NOT a violation, even in cases where dehydration (caused by weight cut) is the issue being treated.”