Daniel
Cormier says one of the strangest moments of his broadcasting
career came when he unknowingly criticized a fighter who was later
investigated in connection with alleged fight-fixing.
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Famer recently reflected
on the incident during an appearance on the “In the Bayou” podcast,
explaining that he spent the bout questioning the fighter’s
unusually poor grappling before learning about the suspected
betting irregularities.
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The UFC Hall of Famer details how an ordinary broadcast became
linked to a betting investigation
Cormier recalled a UFC bout that was later flagged for suspicious
activity, though he did not know about the investigation while
calling the fight. During the broadcast, he questioned the
fighter’s struggles on the ground before learning that the matchup
was under investigation.
“One time they had a fight at the UFC Apex and this one dude was
grappling. He was so horrible at grappling,” Cormier said. “I’m on
commentary wondering how this kid could be so bad. These are basic
things you should be able to do and defend.”
Cormier said UFC officials later informed him that the fighter was
suspected of intentionally trying to lose and that the bout had
already drawn attention from federal investigators because of
suspicious betting activity.
“Come to find out this dude was trying to throw the fight but not
doing a good job of it,” Cormier recalled. “The whole time I’m just
on him. Then they called me and said, ‘DC, the fact that you were
calling him out and you had no idea what was going on… When the kid
lost the way that he did, they took him to the back because the FBI
was already there.”
Cormier did not reveal the bout in question. He added that betting
markets are now closely monitored for irregular movement, with
authorities and regulators acting quickly whenever something
appears suspicious.
“The FBI starts watching these betting lines and if something looks
off, they pull the fight. They’ve done that a number of times
now.”
He also praised the promotion’s efforts to protect the integrity of
its events. While acknowledging that fight-fixing remains an
ongoing concern across combat sports, Cormier believes the UFC has
taken significant steps to combat the issue.
“You have to keep it authentic. It has to be real.”