WASHINGTON — A social media stir erupted when screenshots emerged from Daniel Cormier’s account, suggesting Eric Trump, son of President Donald Trump, was inquiring about potentially fixed UFC fights on the White House lawn. Eric Trump quickly dismissed the images as AI-generated fabrications, asserting he never contacted Cormier.
Cormier, a respected UFC Hall of Famer and current television analyst, subsequently removed the post. He later commented, “Are people really this dumb?” after realizing his X account had likely been compromised by a crypto scam during the UFC Freedom 250 event.
In response to the situation, Cormier shared videos online while taking photos with fans in Washington, D.C., saying, “Not real, I can’t believe you guys believed that. Like, who believes that? I got hacked or something. Who believes something like that? That’s crazy. Why would I do that?”
Before deletion, Cormier’s tweet expressed his refusal to remain silent about corruption, declaring he would “not tolerate this type of insider behavior” and criticized anyone attempting to undermine the integrity of the event.
In the alleged conversation, Eric Trump supposedly asked, “Are any of the fighters injured that you know of?” which fueled further speculation before being debunked.
“I’m not quite sure why you’re asking me this, but I think they’re all in good shape,” Cormier replied.
“I’ll just cut to the chase. Are any of the fights tomorrow rigged?” Trump is alleged to have asked. “I’ve been eyeing the [Diego] Lopes fight, and I think an upset wouldn’t be too unrealistic. $$”
“No none of our fights rigged and honestly I am appalled that you would even ask me something like that,” Cormier replied, per the screengrabs.
This post was up for just a few minutes before being deleted, but was quickly screen-recorded by other users and spread like wildfire online.
“This is completely fake!” Eric Trump, 42, wrote. “I have never reached out to Daniel. In fact, this is scary.”
Hours later, Cormier’s account began posting nonsense online about a cryptocurrency scam they were hoping to pump and dump, confirming what many had already suspected.
The UFC did not comment on the matter as it hosted seven cage fights in a make-shift stadium on the South Lawn of the White House.
Things went mostly according to plan, though there was a small delay due to potential weather problems that ended up missing the area.