After his UFC 284 win over Alexander Volkanovski, Islam Makhachev was accused of taking IVs. Allegendly, Makhachev rehydrated using IVs after his weight cut. Makhachev was first accused by Volkanovski’s teammate, Dan Hooker.
Now, more details have come to light. Chael Sonnen, on his official YouTube channel, said that he spoke to Craig Jones, Alexander Volkanovski’s BJJ and grappling coach. Speaking on the subject of what Craig Jones said, Sonnen stated:
“The news (of Islam Makhachev receiving an IV) spread around Volkanovski’s team instantly. All of a sudden the mood changed. All of a sudden they weren’t as friendly with Islam’s team, but they didn’t say why. Coincidentally, it turned out to be Dan Hooker’s birthday, so everybody went out to celebrate. Through the course of celebration, Hooker decided to stay quiet on this and brought it out to the world.” (2:55 to 3:28)
Chael Sonnen then proceeded to suggest what motives Jones may have had for saying something along those lines. Speaking on a potential rematch, Sonnen said:
“I appreciate that Craig shared that. I’ve always liked Dan Hooker, I like him more now. He backed his guy up. Might have taken a couple cocktails, but he got his story out there. Now, I don’t think Islam did anything wrong, but I sure think you can make it look like he did. And you can leverage that into something.” (8:51 to 9:15)
Watch the video here:
Alexander Volkanovski’s potential opponents include Islam Makhachev, title unification bout with Yair Rodriguez
Following the events of UFC 284, it’s unclear who Alexander Volkanovski will face next. As Yair Rodriguez beat Josh Emmet to become the interim champion at 145 lbs, Volkanovski will have to face him at some point to defend his featherweight strap.
Volkanovski may look for a rematch with Makhachev, given how close their first fight was. In fact, both fighters have publicly agreed to fight each other, but the dates are yet to be finalized.
Watch as Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski agree to a rematch:
