Daniel Cormier

Conor McGregor escalated his verbal spat with Daniel Cormier on Wednesday apparently in response to the retired UFC star's comments on his DC & RC podcast.

In a series of tweets, the Irishman claimed without evidence that Cormier attended a media event for McGregor-Poirier III while drunk and wondered if UFC should fire him as a commentator while mocking Cormier's appearance:

https://twitter.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/1425624375072477188

https://twitter.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/1425624728773947396

https://twitter.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/1425625001483390976

Those comments came shortly after Cormier went on his podcast to tell McGregor to focus on his spiraling career after McGregor called him a "fat drunk f--k" in a since-deleted tweet. The former two-division champion has dropped back-to-back bouts for the first time in his career and has lost four of his last seven fights.

"So McGregor, listen to me bud. Stop worrying about me. Don't worry about Daniel Cormier," Cormier said (h/t Steven Marrocco of MMA Fighting). "Don't worry about the things that I'm saying. Don't worry about how I'm dressing and how I'm looking. Don't do that. Worry about the dudes that keep beating your ass every time you go into the Octagon."

It's not uncommon for McGregor to make incendiary or offensive comments on social media—especially when he's waiting to find his next opponent. That has taken a rather cruel turn recently with McGregor tweeting—then deleting—an insult referencing the death of former rival Khabib Nurmagomedov's father, Abdulmanap.

"When someone is not with us–he is not even alive–this shows what you have inside. This shows how dirty you are." Nurmagomedov said Mike Tyson's Hotboxin' podcast in response to the comments. "When you one of the best in the world and you come and you punch someone who is like 70 years old, like an old man [in a pub], this shows your heart. This shows who you are inside, how dirty you are. When you have parents and you have kids, how can you show yourself like this? I don't understand why his close people don't go, 'Hey, what's going on?'"

Neither Cormier nor UFC has responded to McGregor's latest claims as of Wednesday evening. McGregor continues to rehab a broken leg he suffered against Poirier in their last bout. UFC currently has no plans for a return to the Octagon for its one-time biggest star.

Daniel Cormier thinks Conor McGregor's taken the trash talk way too far.

The former UFC champion and current analyst responded to McGregor's since-deleted "Covid is good and father is evil?" tweet, presumably about Khabib Nurmagomedov's father Abdulmanap, who died from COVID-19 complications in July 2020.

Cormier blasted McGregor for the comments during his ESPN show with Ryan Clark (h/t Damon Martin of MMA Fighting):

I get shock value and I get trying to get people to talk but way too far. To the point that I immediately called Khabib last night and said, 'Are you OK?' Asking him if he's OK after having to see that, especially with no ability to do anything about it again. He spoke to my kids at my wrestling program the other day and said he was never happier than when he got to fight McGregor on the day. Because for so long, he wanted to get his hands on Conor and beat Conor up.

Well, he can't do that no more cause he's not a prizefighter anymore. So now he just has to kind of swallow that. Way too far. Honestly, when Conor does stuff like that, it's hard to understand how there's still this mass amount of people that support that type of behavior.

McGregor was apparently responding to the following tweet from Nurmagomedov, who posted it after McGregor broke his leg versus Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 and lost by TKO:

Good always defeats evil.
Very happy for @DustinPoirier I hope you will get the belt end of the year

— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) July 11, 2021

And Cormier couldn't believe McGregor would stoop to insulting Nurmagomedov's deceased father.

"When you're dealing with death and COVID and all these other things that we've dealt with over the last year and a half, that's all off limits," he said. "We talked about wives and families being off limits, but when you're talking about a man's everything—Khabib's dad was his everything—and you're talking about him being gone today due to something that has been so terrible for our entire world, you use that in a sense to get back?"

McGregor's trash talk has gone beyond the pale in the past. Before his fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017, he at one point told his opponent to "Dance for me, boy" while Mayweather shadowboxed. 

And when there was backlash to those racist comments and others, McGregor doubled down, perpetuating stereotypes. 

"All of the media seem to be saying I'm against Black people. ... Do they not know I'm half Black?" he said at the time. "I'm half Black from the belly button down."

He also brought Poirier's wife, Jolie, into his web of trash talk before UFC 264 in July: 

pic.twitter.com/kdI3GStMeL

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) July 6, 2021

He also brought up Jolie—who flipped off McGregor after the fight—in his post-bout comments.

"Your wife is in my DMs," McGregor said. "Hey, baby, hit me back up on chat later on. We'll be at the after-party, the Wynn nightclub, baby. [Inaudible], you little hoe. F--k him."

There's trash talk, and then there are remarks like that. For Cormier, and surely many others in the sport, McGregor has lost the plot.

"Absolutely crossed the line. I think when stuff like that is being said, it's a cry for help," he said of the comments about Nurmagomedov's father. "Conor has all the money in the world, he has all the fame, but now when you start to dig at that level, it's like somebody needs to get to McGregor and help him to start to kind of re-shift his mind and his focus and get him back to a better place. It's unfortunate."

Former UFC star Daniel Cormier wasn't impressed with what he saw from Floyd Mayweather in Mayweather's exhibition with Logan Paul on Sunday night.

Cormier tweeted that it was "not a good look for Floyd" that he and Paul went the distance for eight rounds.

Hats off to Logan Paul. He went 8 rounds with greatest boxer ever. Not a good look for Floyd.

— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) June 7, 2021

Mayweather may not care all that much since his primary goal was to make as much money as possible. The 44-year-old told TMZ Sports he expects to receive between $50 million and $100 million when all is said and done.

The unbeaten legend may have missed the forest for the trees, though. As much as his name alone can carry a pay-per-view card, fans may not be all that enthusiastic to purchase another fight after his performance Sunday.

Mayweather successfully turned himself into a villain, which meant he could adopt a defensive style, avoid losing, and still leave the fans wanting more. Fans would tune in again with the hope he would finally get laid out.

That formula doesn't necessarily work against inexperienced opponents who stand little chance of beating him. In this case, some viewers likely hoped to see something else from Mayweather and were left underwhelmed.

The war of words between Kamaru Usman and Jake Paul continues.

Usman told Paul on Twitter that he can change his life "in the worst way" amid their back-and-forth:

I understand you think this is a game which is probably why you don’t realize that this is how people Truly get hurt. I don’t play fighting and I can change your life in the worst way. https://t.co/Zch2xlDA9b

— KAMARU USMAN (@USMAN84kg) May 5, 2021

Paul is looking for a new opponent in his burgeoning boxing career after earning a first-round TKO of Ben Askren on April 17. As part of that pursuit, the 24-year-old confronted retired UFC star Daniel Cormier as Cormier was working on the UFC 261 broadcast.

During an interview with TMZ Sports, Usman said Cormier should "let me take care of that" in reference to Paul. The welterweight champion also explained how he may "beat the s--t" out of "one of these internet guys" since none of his immediate challengers in UFC is all that enticing. (Warning: Video contains NSFW language.)

The odds of this thing happening seem slim. It's one thing for Paul to fight Askren or former NBA star Nate Robinson; it's another for him to go up against one of the most dominant fighters in UFC, even if they're crossing paths in a boxing ring.

But the longer Usman and Paul bicker, the closer a fight might be to becoming a reality.

Jake Paul isn't taking Daniel Cormier's challenge to fight in MMA. However, the YouTuber-turned-boxer is hopeful Nate Diaz will be his next opponent inside a boxing ring. 

Paul spoke to Ariel Helwani of ESPN and said he thinks beating Diaz would help him set up a fight against Conor McGregor. 

"I think people will immediately write me off. Even someone watching this interview right now is like, 'Oh, this kid's crazy. Nate Diaz is such a dog, he's going to kill Jake, he's out of his mind.' But they're going to tune in and watch, right?

"It's two massive names, and it'd be a massive pay-per-view, and then when they see me obliterate him, their jaws are going to be dropped—they're not gonna even know how to react. They're gonna think it's rigged again. And at that moment in time, I'll be undeniable to fight Conor McGregor, because I beat the guy that beat you, Conor. And the Jake Paul vs. Conor fight is a massive fight. I'm sorta like, why wait? I don't need to be in this sport forever. I'm not trying to have 100 fights. So why wait? Let's do the biggest fights right away."

Paul is 3-0 since starting to train in boxing, defeating YouTuber AnEsonGib, former NBA guard Nate Robinson and former UFC fighter Ben Askren. His most recent bout against Askren caught the eye of the MMA world, including UFC president Dana White and Cormier, with the latter engaging in a war of words that nearly ended in a physical altercation last weekend at UFC 261.

Cormier called Paul out for a fight but said he would only challenge him in MMA, something Paul says will not happen because he's not trained in the discipline. 

Jake Paul continued his war of words with retired UFC legend Daniel Cormier after the two had a confrontation outside the Octagon at UFC 261.

During Ariel Helwani's MMA Show on Tuesday, Paul claimed Cormier "b---hed out." 

"He also said he's gonna slap me when he sees me," he said. "He said, 'If I ever see Jake Paul, I'm gonna slap him. I'm gonna slap him in the face. And then he sees me, I'm right there, arm's length. And he does nothing. Like, it's funny. It's funny to me."

Paul went on to call Cormier an "embarrassment" and "not a man of [his] word."

Cormier provided his side Monday on DC & Helwani and largely echoed how Paul described the situation:

Daniel Cormier explained his run-in with Jake Paul at #UFC261

(via @dc_mma, @arielhelwani) pic.twitter.com/ifI9yjO8k4

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 27, 2021

The former light heavyweight and heavyweight champion went on to say he'd be open to a fight against Paul and that he'd "rip his face apart" and "will hurt the kid" if presented with the opportunity (via MMA Fighting's Alexander K. Lee).

Asked about Cormier's challenge, Paul basically said it would be unfair to ask him to face an MMA fighter under MMA rules.

"Of course he's going to challenge me to an MMA fight," the 24-year-old said. "I find it funny because he's challenging me to something I've never trained in. He's trained boxing and striking and stand-up and has been in there with Stipe [Miocic], Jon Jones."

One could counter it's a bit silly to directly antagonize a former UFC star and then take umbrage when said star would only agree to an MMA fight.

Cormier would have little to gain and everything to lose by facing off with Paul, so why wouldn't he want to set the terms? He's also far more proven in combat sports and a far bigger draw than Ben Askren, Paul's opponent in his most recent boxing match.

This is the problem Paul will likely run into if he hopes to continue pursuing a boxing career. Sooner or later, he's bound to encounter somebody more experienced than Askren or Nate Robinson in the ring.

Arguably the best pound-for-pound mixed martial artist in the world, UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman would love to get a shot at Jake Paul amid the controversial YouTube star's feud with Daniel Cormier. 

Speaking to TMZ Sports, Usman told Cormier to "let me take care of that for you" regarding a potential fight with Paul. 

The Nigerian Nightmare also said he would be more interested in "beating the s--t" out of one of these "internet guys" than jumping into a fight with Conor McGregor. 

Cormier, who works as a commentator for the UFC, confronted Paul on Saturday during the UFC 261 pay-per-view broadcast. 

On Monday's DC & Helwani Show on ESPN (h/t Simon Samano of MMA Junkie), Cormier explained why he got in Paul's face. 

"I said, 'I'm not gonna play your game.' I said, 'You're gonna get yourself hurt messing around. I'm not gonna fight with you and play these public shenanigans.' I go, 'Keep my name out of your mouth.' He goes, 'Well, you said my name first.' Don't play with me. I'm not a kid to be messing with like that," Cormier said.

DC did note he would come out of retirement to fight Paul, but he would only do it in a mixed martial arts bout. 

In addition to his YouTube career, Paul has transitioned into the world of boxing. He has won three consecutive fights, though none of them have come against a classically trained boxer. The 24-year-old has beaten fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib, former NBA player Nate Robinson and former mixed martial artist Ben Askren. 

Cormier officially retired from MMA in August after a unanimous-decision loss to Stipe Miocic for the UFC heavyweight title. 

Usman knocked out Jorge Masvidal in the main event of Saturday's show. He is 19-1 overall and has won each of his first 14 fights in the UFC. 

Daniel Cormier wouldn't hold anything back if he were to get Jake Paul inside the Octagon.

During Monday's episode of DC & Helwani, Cormier addressed his cageside interaction with Paul during UFC 261 on Saturday. He said he doesn't want to fight the famous YouTuber-turned-boxer but that he'd be willing to sign on for an MMA encounter with a 205-pound limit (via MMA Fighting's Alexander K. Lee):

"If you really want to fight me, like seriously fight me, fight me in mixed martial arts. This is not going to be fun. I'm telling you right now, at 42 years old, bad back and everything, I'm going to torture him and I'm going to hurt him. I don't want to box him, I don't want to fight in a limited skill set of rules. If you want to fight me, you really want to fight me, fight me in a mixed martial arts competition."

Paul shared a video of his verbal exchange with Cormier and implied the former light heavyweight and heavyweight champion backed away from a possible physical confrontation:

Daniel Cormier online
“Imma Smack Jake Paul when I see him”

Daniel Cormier in person... 🤔 pic.twitter.com/zHnssneYBV

— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) April 25, 2021

Paul has silenced some of his skeptics so far by knocking out former NBA star Nate Robinson in the second round and earning a first-round TKO of former MMA star Ben Askren. But the odds of the 24-year-old agreeing to fight Cormier under MMA rules are probably slim because he's smart enough to know what would likely happen. 

American YouTuber and professional boxer Jake Paul got into a heated confrontation with ex-UFC champion and current color commentator Daniel Cormier during UFC 261 in Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday evening.

Here's the video 👇

Daniel Cormier confronts Jake Paul at #UFC261
pic.twitter.com/VbQ2rwTrdP

— Seán Sheehan (@SeanSheehanBA) April 25, 2021

Jake Paul not only showing up to this UFC card but getting into it with Daniel Cormier. This kid is a genius. pic.twitter.com/fdtQZU7RsY

— Dan Canobbio (@DanCanobbio) April 25, 2021

After the shouting match ended, a group of fans began chanting "f--k Jake Paul" as Cormier walked away.

The bad blood between the two started earlier in April.

Paul recently defeated former UFC fighter Ben Askren by first-round knockout in a boxing match. Cormier had some feelings on that fight and expressed them on Twitter:

Man look at this shit. That’s so crazy me and Dan Dan react to the knockout on his YouTube. Show him some support https://t.co/Ht9T1IoexU pic.twitter.com/Qc1wGq8GFQ

— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) April 18, 2021

Paul then issued an insult on Twitter to Cormier. The ex-UFC champ had taken exception to how his adversary had spoken about UFC fighter Tyronn Woodley, who wants to fight Paul:

BOUTTA COOK HIM UP CLEVELAND STYLE

— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) April 18, 2021

The war of words continued on the DC & Helwani show (h/t Scott Christ of Bad Left Hook), with Cormier saying:

"I'm not gonna punch down to some kid that's on YouTube that's, like, 'Fight me!' Like, why? What have you done to earn the right to fight me? So, no, it's silly and stupid. But I would like him to fight Tyron. I would like to see him fight somebody more real. Don't fight Ben Askren at 190, bloated."

Paul then went on the IMPAULSIVE podcast (h/t Jed Meshew of MMAFighting.com) to respond to Cormier:

"Daniel Cormier, (mimicking) 'That's my boy Ben, he's gonna beat Jake, he pushed him in the face so he's gonna win now, chirp, chirp, chirp.' I knock him out and he's on Twitter, 'Ben, are you serious, bro, you went down like that? Ben are you kidding me? Ben, I can't believe you did that to the MMA community.' Shut the f--k up b---h. I'll beat the f--k out of your fat ass too, just like Stipe did. Cleveland s--t. I swear to God, I'll beat the f--k out of Daniel Cormier."

Saturday only served as the latest chapter to the Paul vs. Cormier saga.

In his quest to call out every major star who has ever fought in UFC, Jake Paul recently set his sights on former heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier. 

Appearing on the IMPAULSIVE podcast with his brother Logan Paul (h/t Jed Meshew of MMAFighting.com), Jake had this to say in response to Cormier's comments about the controversial YouTube star's win over Ben Askren in a boxing match on Saturday night:

"Daniel Cormier, (mimicking) 'That's my boy Ben, he's gonna beat Jake, he pushed him in the face so he's gonna win now, chirp, chirp, chirp.' I knock him out and he's on Twitter, 'Ben, are you serious, bro, you went down like that? Ben are you kidding me? Ben, I can't believe you did that to the MMA community.' Shut the f--k up b---h. I'll beat the f--k out of your fat ass too, just like Stipe did. Cleveland s--t. I swear to God, I'll beat the f--k out of Daniel Cormier.”

After Cormier expressed his disappointment with how Askren performed, Paul responded on Twitter by calling him "fat boy" and challenged him to a fight. 

On the DC & Helwani show on ESPN (h/t Scott Christ of Bad Left Hook), Cormier said he wouldn't take up Paul on the challenge because he doesn't like to "punch down" to inferior competition. 

"I'm not gonna punch down to some kid that's on YouTube that's, like, 'Fight me!' Like, why? What have you done to earn the right to fight me? So, no, it's silly and stupid," Cormier said. "But I would like him to fight Tyron. I would like to see him fight somebody more real. Don't fight Ben Askren at 190, bloated."

Paul knocked out Askren in the first round for his third consecutive win as a professional boxer. He has made a habit of calling out superstar fighters who can help him generate headlines, including former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor. 

As a businessman, Paul's approach seems to be working with audiences. MMA Fighting's Damon Martin noted early estimates suggest Saturday's event generated more than 1 million pay-per-view buys.