Coach Eugene Bareman reveals insider details on Islam Makhachev’s alleged IV usage

Following UFC 284, Dan Hooker took to Twitter to accuse Islam Makhachev of cheating in his main event victory over Alexander Volkanovski. In a series of tweets, the No.11-ranked lightweight claimed that the lightweight champion used an IV, which has been banned by the UFC since 2015. City Kickboxing head coach Eugene Bareman weighed in on the accusations.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Bareman stated:

"We have reliable information to a point... the information, it falls short for several reasons, and one of them is that you can actually take an IV before a fight. It just has to be 100 ml of saline every 12 hours in a 12 hour block. What it has to come down to is whether you believe that people are going to take this saline, 100 ml, and then stop."

Bareman added that there are two fighters from the American Kickboxing Academy who could be involved while noting that the information received hasn't yet determined whether it was Makhachev or his teammate Zubaira Tukhugov. He claimed that while he advised Hooker against discussing the matter, he believes something is going on:

"There’s enough information there for to be like, ‘Eeeh…’ This is why Alex and the rest of the team are laughing because we’re like, something’s going on there, we just can’t reliably say what it is. It’s frustrating because the whole sport should be played on an even playing field... If anyone on my team was doing something illegal, then I would immediately distance the team from that person. Maybe something will come out in the wash."

While Islam Makhachev has not addressed the accusations levied by Dan Hooker, his team quickly denied them. His co-manager, Rizvan Magomedov, claimed that 'The Hangman' was just a jealous loser spreading lies.

Watch Eugene Bareman's full comments below:

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Alexander Volkanovski seemingly joked about Islam Makhachev's IV use prior to Dan Hooker's claim

Dan Hooker wasn't the first member of City Kickboxing to accuse Islam Makhachev of using an IV at UFC 284. His title fight opponent, Alexander Volkanovski, seemed to joke about the matter while speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, stating:

"I ended up weighing myself. I think I was like 76 [or] 77 kilograms so maybe 170 or just under 170 [pounds]... What would 80 [or] 81 kilograms? 178 or 180 [pounds], I think [Islam Makhachev] would have been. I've heard he gets up to 180, like 83 kilograms closely. You fill up pretty quick on the IV's and stuff like that... Maybe that's a little shot at him."

Although Volkanovski appeared to be joking, Hooker's claims may indicate that he was more serious than he appeared. The featherweight champion made his remarks prior to his teammate's accusation.

Watch Alexander Volkanovski's comments on Islam Makhachev below: