‘Sorry’ Cormier Confesses To Cheating

Daniel Cormier cheated to make weight for UFC 210.

The only people who couldn’t figure that out were the regulators at New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC), who were asleep at the wheel for Cormier’s weigh-in attempt back in April 2017. I guess they didn’t find anything fishy about losing 1.2 pounds in just two minutes and 23 seconds.

So what happened?

“I walked back to the back after missing weight by 1.2 pounds,” Cormier said during his UFC Hall of Fame induction speech (watch it here). “I tried to give it up guys, trust me, I tried to give it up. I had a pound to lose, they even went and called my wife to try to get me back in the tub. I said, ‘No way, this shit’s over.’ She told me, Daniel, just take a hot bath. I go, ‘It’s not that simple.’”

Cormier was scheduled to defend his light heavyweight strap in a five-round rematch against division power puncher Anthony Johnson, which means “DC” was not entitled to the one-pound allowance typically afforded in non-title fights. “Rumble” came in slightly under at 203.8 pounds.

The former heavyweight was stuck at 206.2 until his coach intervened.

“He goes, ‘DC, do you remember the old wrestling trick? I said, ‘Can you stand behind me?’ Because there’s two. You can put your hands behind you and the person can lift you up. He said, ‘No, it’s the towel one.’ But do you understand the level of ridiculousness that has to happen in order for that to work? I looked down and could not believe my luck. So, I look down, and the commissioner’s down on the floor looking at the scale. There’s a second lady. I look down, and she’s right next to him, so I grab the towel like, ‘Shit, we home free!’”

A defiant Cormier first dismissed cheating accusations an effort to hide his junk.

Unfortunately for Cormier, his opponent was also a collegiate wrester. So too, was longtime rival Jon Jones, who bashed the “cheating asshole” for his towel-assisted weigh in. “Rumble” took it one step further and filed an appeal with the commission, asking for “DC” to be stripped of the strap and fined 20-percent of his fight purse.

That appeal was denied but NYSAC did amend its weigh-in policy.

If you think it’s water under the bridge or simply no big deal, just remember that Charles Oliveira was stripped of the lightweight championship and heavily fined (payable to Justin Gaethje) for coming in slightly over at UFC 274 last May in Phoenix. Like “Do Bronx,” Cormier also went on to win his fight but retained his title and kept all the money.

“‘Rumble,’ I’m sorry, my guy,” Cormier said.