What is meldonium, the banned substance that Islam Makhachev got flagged for after his sole MMA Loss?

Meldonium, the banned substance that UFC lightweight Islam Makhachev was flagged for after his first and only loss in the UFC, is a drug used to treat ischemia. The medication is also known to help improve exercise capacity in the users.

The medication is an effective agent in combating many cardiovascular and neurological diseases arising from irregular blood flow patterns.

The drug was added to the prohibited category by the World Anti-Doping Organization (WADA) on January 1, 2016, after receiving ample evidence of athletes using it to enhance performance.

The infamy of meldonium skyrocketed when former five-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova tested positive for the substance in March 2016. However, the tennis star maintained that the drug was prescribed to her by her doctor to combat diabetes and magnesium deficiency.

Watch Maria Sharapova address her failed drug test below:

According to a report by Bloodyelbow, more than 30 Russian athletes were flagged for the substance in barely half a year since the January 2016 ban. European Boxing Union light-heavyweight champion Igor Mikhalkin and Russian cyclist Eduard Vorganov were among the athletes who tested positive for meldonium.

WADA was heavily criticized for not effectively notifying athletes of the January 2016 ban on the substance. After testing positive for the substance, Islam Makhachev was subsequently removed from his April 2016 matchup against Drew Dober at UFC on Fox 19.

The Russian did, however, clarify that he had taken the drug for a heart surgery he had undergone the previous year.

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When Islam Makhachev explained that getting flagged for Medlonium affected him more than his only MMA loss

In a recent interview with UFC Russia in the lead-up to his UFC 280 title clash against Charles Oliveira, Islam Makhachev stated that getting flagged for a banned substance affected him more than his first loss in professional MMA.

The Dagestani added that he was worried that the ban on him might affect his entire team:

"Later I had problems with USADA, I was worried more about that... Even though it was just meldonium. Russian athletes on national teams were getting it like vitamins... Every national team was giving mildronate [meldonium]. I still think it's systemic prejudice against Russian athletes...

I was worried because I was given a ban because of that substance, I thought it would affect everyone on the team... That affected me more than the loss... I was taking mildronate after my heart surgery. I showed them the prescriptions and the problem was resolved."

Watch Islam Makhachev talk about his failed drug test below:

Makhachev's only pro-MMA loss came at UFC 192 against Adriano Martins via a first-round TKO.