New Zealand lightweight Dan Hooker does not regret the words spoken against Islam Makhachev, whom he accused of violating the UFC anti-doping policy after the Russian defeated his teammate Alexander Volkanovski.
“I have no regrets, one hundred percent,” the New Zealander said in the next edition of the MMA Hour program. “I believe that Islam Makhachev used saline. It’s my opinion. From what I’ve heard about this, there’s some misunderstanding about the rule that governs the use of saline.”
“USADA says one thing, regional athletic commissions, another thing, so I can’t even clearly articulate what this rule is. I said what I said. In my understanding, Makhachev took advantage of this confusing situation to deceive.
In February of this year, Islam Makhachev successfully defended the UFC lightweight championship belt, defeating Alexander Volkanovski by unanimous decision at UFC 284 in Perth, after which Dan Hooker publicly called the Russian a fraudster, accusing him of using banned saline drips. As a result, the Volkanovski team did not provide the promised evidence, and the Australian Athletic Commission and the UFC officially stated that they had no claims against the Russian fighter.
This weekend at UFC 290 in Las Vegas, Dan Hooker will split the octagon with American Jalyn Turner, and Alexander Volkanovski will try to unify the current and interim UFC featherweight titles in a confrontation with Mexican Yair Rodriguez in the main event of the event.
Source: https://fighttime.ru/news/item/32007-den-khuker-ne-sozhaleet-o-slovakh-v-adres-islama-makhacheva.html?rand=19907
