Alright, let’s talk about this thing people keep bringing up: what PEDs Islam Makhachev might be on. I saw this question floating around, got me curious, so I decided to do my own digging, you know, see what’s actually out there beyond just talk.
My Process Looking Into It
First off, I started where most folks probably do: just searching online. I plugged in the obvious terms, variations of ‘Islam Makhachev PEDs’, ‘Makhachev drug test’, ‘USADA Makhachev’, that kind of stuff. Went through a bunch of articles, forum discussions, social media mentions.
You definitely find noise pretty quick. Lots of accusations, especially after big wins. That’s pretty standard in combat sports, right? Someone dominates, and the whispers start. But I was looking for something solid, not just fan speculation.
Then I remembered the whole USADA thing. They’re the ones testing these UFC fighters constantly. So I tried to look specifically for official reports or news related to USADA tests involving him.
What I Found (or Didn’t Find)
Okay, so here’s the main thing that kept popping up: the meldonium situation back in 2016. Yes, he flagged for that. But digging into that specific instance, it got cleared up pretty fast by USADA. The story was something about him taking it before it was officially banned, or maybe it was prescribed for a legit medical reason back then. The point is, USADA looked into it and basically said ‘okay, move along’, didn’t suspend him long-term or anything like a typical failed test.
Beyond that old story? Honestly, I came up pretty empty trying to find concrete evidence of current PED use. Here’s what I gathered:
- Constant Testing: Like all high-level UFC fighters, Makhachev is in the USADA testing pool. This means random tests, blood, urine, the whole deal, year-round. Records show he gets tested frequently.
- No Recent Flags: Since that meldonium thing years ago, there haven’t been public reports or announcements from USADA about failed tests for him. If he popped hot recently, we’d likely know about it.
- Lots of Talk, Little Proof: Most of the ‘evidence’ you see online is just speculation, rivals making comments, or fans connecting dots that aren’t really there. It’s easy to accuse, hard to prove.
So, my takeaway from actually spending time looking into it? There’s no solid, publicly available evidence right now to say Islam Makhachev is actively using PEDs. The one past issue had context and was resolved by the testing agency itself. He’s subject to rigorous, frequent, random testing. Could someone still beat the system? Maybe, it’s naive to think otherwise entirely. But based on the available facts from my search, the accusations remain just that – accusations without current proof. Until USADA or another official body comes out with something concrete, it’s just speculation.
