Alexander Volkanovski vs Islam Makhachev fight preview, bad blood, cheating, IV use, interview, latest\u060c<\/p>\n
ABU DHABI \u2014 Islam Makhachev has described allegations that he used an IV in Australia earlier this year as \u201cbull\u2026\u201d \u2013 and suggested Alexander Volkanovski was only in Abu Dhabi to collect money \u2013 while growing tension between the two men has also seen them caught up in an affair. Awkward hotel exchange here in Abu Dhabi. <\/p>\n
With just days until their UFC 294 headliner at Etihad Stadium, tensions continue to rise between the two UFC champions and their respective teams.<\/p>\n
One of the biggest controversies focused on previous allegations from Team Volkanovski that Makhachev<\/a> illegally used an IV to help rehydrate after an arduous weight loss following their first meeting in February.<\/p>\n Speaking at the UFC Fighters Hotel on Wednesday, Makhachev vigorously denied the allegations while also paying his respects to the UFC featherweight champion and the team.<\/p>\n The UFC lightweight champion also questioned both Volkanovski’s knockout power and motivations for fighting – suggesting the Australian wasn’t looking to inherit a legacy as he claimed, but to get money<\/a> quickly.<\/p>\n UFC<\/b> 294: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski<\/a> 2 | SUN 22 OCT 5am AEDT | Order now with the Main Event on Kayo Sports<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n Volkanovski, meanwhile, revealed that he and Makhachev were involved in an awkward encounter at the UFC<\/a> hotel earlier Tuesday, joking that the Dagestani bogeyman tried to “nasty assault” him. So, what did the Windang warrior think?<\/p>\n \u201cDude, you\u2019re not going to intimidate me,\u201d Volkanovski smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s remember how I left that last fight\u2026I remember slamming your head through the canvas.\u201d<\/p>\n As revealed by Fox Sports Australia this week<\/a>, Volkanovski’s team has urged UFC officials to put “safeguards” in place to ensure there is no repeat of the IV saga which surrounded the duo’s first fight in February.<\/p>\n As Makhachev defended his title by decision at UFC 284 in Perth, all headlines subsequently focused on claims the Dagestani had illegally rehydrated via an IV drip after an arduous weight cut. <\/p>\n Dan Hooker, Volkanovski’s teammate, even tweeted: “Dumb C… thinks he can fly to Australia to hire a nurse to give him an IV and we won’t know.”<\/p>\n Although Volkanovski refused to get drawn into the situation this week, he spoke out generally about cheaters in the UFC, calling any fighter who did so “a really coward.” <\/p>\n When asked about the allegations surrounding his opening victory against Volkanovski in Australia, Makhachev categorically denied the claims.<\/p>\n \u201cI know some bulls\u2026 guys who want to cause drama,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut if you\u2019re a professional fighter, if you say something, you have to back it up.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t say something \u2013 he used an IV or something \u2013 if you don\u2019t have any proof.\u201d<\/p>\n Why Volk is \u201chappy\u201d about his loss to Islam | 01:24<\/p>\n Asked if he had seen Makhachev around the hotel following the growing tension between the two men, Volkanovski replied: “Actually one thing happened yesterday, I don’t know if He was trying to attack me, but he was looking at me, trying to hurt me.<\/p>\n \u201cBut it\u2019s going to be quite difficult.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s remember how I left that last fight\u2026(you) trying to do everything you can to save your life. I remember hitting your head through a web.<\/p>\n \u201cSo to intimidate me, it\u2019s going to be difficult.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe he was watching me? Maybe he didn’t realize I was there?<\/p>\n ” I don’t know.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I wasn\u2019t intimidated.\u201d<\/p>\n Separately, Makachev also responded to Volkanovski’s claims in various media outlets this week that, if the roles had been reversed, the Dagestanis would not have stepped up and agreed to this fight.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the UFC told him to bring his belt to Abu Dhabi, he would never take it,\u201d Makhachev said of the featherweight champion.<\/p>\n \u201cHe doesn’t take any risks without his belt, that’s why he comes.<\/p>\n \u201cHe comes to make money.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all about that, everyone knows it.<\/p>\n \u201cIf he loses, he\u2019ll still have his belt and he\u2019ll defend early next year.\u201d<\/p>\n Later, Makhachev continued about Volkanovski<\/a>: \u201cThis guy has no pressure.<\/p>\n \u201cHe came 11 days, I already beat him, and if I beat him again, his people will say he came short term, not in shape, something like that.<\/p>\n \u201cI just got in the cage, finished this guy off. That’s it.<\/p>\n \u201cHe knows he never touches that belt.\u201d<\/p>\n Attempt to intimidate Islam fails | 00:40<\/p>\n