JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Islam Makhachev’s 2016 positive drug test was a failure, but more so by the system than the athlete. That’s according to UFC senior vice president of anti-doping compliance Jeff Novitzky.
During Wednesday’s UFC 302 media day, Novitzky presented Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) with a 50-time perfect test jacket. Before doing so, however, he explained why Makhachev’s drug test failure eight years ago ahead of a scheduled fight vs. Drew Dober should not be held against the UFC lightweight champion.
“Islam did have an issue back in 2016. I actually talked with him and his team last week and I said, ‘I think we need to bring this up.’ And they agreed.”