UFC legend upset after Tom Aspinall leaked private chat
UFC legend Daniel Cormier has admitted he was "upset" after a private conversation with Tom Aspinall was leaked ahead of the Brit's fight with Ciryl Gane
Daniel Cormier has admitted he felt "a little upset" after Tom Aspinall revealed details of a private chat between the pair before the Brit's bout with Ciryl Gane.
Just days before UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi, Cormier sat down for a one-on-one interview with the undisputed heavyweight champion. After wrapping up their discussion, 'DC' heaped praise on the British fighter and suggested he could rule the division for years to come - especially when considering some of the contenders in the 265lb weight class.
During their chat, the UFC legend declared that Jailton Almeida "can't fight" before the Brazilian's clash with Alexander Volkov on the same card. Almeida ultimately suffered a split decision loss to the Russian, reports All Out Fighting.
Days after the pay-per-view event in Abu Dhabi, Cormier spoke out following Aspinall's decision to share their conversation on his official YouTube channel.
"I was literally trying to tell him you could possibly be on the verge of something tremendously special right now," Cormier revealed on Good Guy/Bad Guy on Monday. "In that statement, I was saying Jailton's going to grapple you. It's not as dangerous a fight. I could have done a better job of saying that to Tom.
"Now I was a little upset that Tom and them released that, if I'm being honest with you. I thought when you lean into someone and you're talking quietly, that's a private conversation that should stay between you and the athlete. I thought it was Embedded, and I know that Embedded would never do something like that."
READ MORE: Khabib gave Tom Aspinall tactical pep talk before Ciryl Gane UFC fightREAD MORE: Joe Rogan has already come up with solution for UFC eye pokesDuring the main card clash between Almeida and Volkov, the Brazilian repeatedly brought his opponent crashing to the mat, yet struggled to inflict any meaningful damage from the dominant position. Despite battling from his back, Volkov continued trying to cause harm - which appeared to earn him the victory on the scorecards.
There was controversy in the headline bout this past weekend as the encounter between Aspinall and Gane was ruled a no contest. The challenger began brightly, battling from range and catching his opponent with multiple jabs. The bout was halted after the Frenchman jabbed the champion in both eyes, leaving the Wigan fighter in considerable pain. Aspinall was granted five minutes to recover, but couldn't see from his right eye. Eventually, referee Jason Herzog called off the bout.
"Guys I just got f***ing poked knuckle deep in the eyeball. Why are you booing? What am I supposed to do about it? I didn't do the f***ing poke. I can't see. This is bulls***. The fight was just getting going. Complete bulls***. I'm p***** off," a frustrated Aspinall said after the fight.
When is the next UFC fight?
The next UFC bout is set for Steve Garcia to take on David Onama in Las Vegas on Saturday, November 1. The preliminary card is expected to begin around 8pm UK time (3pm ET / 12pm PT / 2pm CT), whilst the main card will start at 11pm UK time Sunday (6pm ET / 3pm PT / 5pm CT).
In the headline event, Onama is set to step into the cage first at around 2am UK time on Sunday (9pm ET / 6pm PT / 8pm CT). Fans in the UK can tune into all the live action on TNT Sports.
