Referee McCarthy responds to Cormier’s post-UFC 214 apology
In response to Cormier’s apology to Referee McCarthy, which he posted after his loss to Jon Jones….
https://www.instagram.com/p/BXMcRjEhW6j/
…McCarthy responds:
1/2 @dc_mma U have nothing to apologize for. You have been an incredible champion who has represented the sport of MMA with class & dignity
— Big John McCarthy (@JohnMcCarthyMMA) July 31, 2017
2/2 @dc_mma you also fought a great fight against an incredible competitor. It was an honor being in the cage with 2 of the greatest #AskBJM
— Big John McCarthy (@JohnMcCarthyMMA) July 31, 2017
Rogan apologises for Cormier interview
After coming under criticism for interviewing Cormier after he lost to Jon Jones, Rogan apologises. Normally, the losing fighter is not interviewed because they may be concussed, or not in a fit state to take questions.
https://twitter.com/LeadingSports_/status/891733365153349632
My apologies to DC and to everyone else upset at me for interviewing him after the fight. In all honesty, I was kind of in shock and I don’t think I realised what I was doing until I had a mic in my hand and I was talking to him. I’ve said that I don’t want to interview fighters after they’ve been KO’d and then I did it to someone that I care a great deal about. It was 100% my f**k up and no one pressured me to do it. I was beating myself up about it all night, and whenever something like that happens it’s always my sincere intention to apologise and express my honest feelings. It’ll never happen again.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BXLXbyjnWXF/
Cormier: McGregor ‘the greatest promoter of all time’
Cormier talks about McGregor’s gift for promotion.
That’s why I say he’s the greatest promoter of all-time…This guy, he managed to get Floyd Mayweather to fight him. There are boxers in the world right now that are much more deserving of that mega-fight, in terms of credentials, but they could never get Floyd’s attention to make Floyd listen. Conor did that…Floyd’s always been the guy to have to carry the promotion every time he fought. And this time, I know he won’t because he knows that if he does his part, (and) Conor does his part, but if he wanted to, he could take a backseat. He doesn’t have to do it. He could sit back and let Conor do it, and they would still do massive numbers.
Cormier wants McGregor-Mayweather undercard
Cormier says he wants a rematch with Jones on the McGregor-Mayweather undercard. However, he says has not been involved in any talks about the fight.
Any human being that gets part of the Pay-per-view would definitely want to be a part of that. If you are on a card with Mayweather and McGregor, and me and Jon Jones. It would do ridiculous numbers. You’d get paid…I’ve won at every level. Beat some of the best guys in the entire world. And then, once I get through with Jones, I can do whatever I want.
Johnson to file complaint against Cormier weigh-in
Johnson will file a formal complaint about Cormier’s weigh-in. Johnson’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz says he immediately informed Dana White about the action before the match, but did not mention it publicly in case it affected the fight, which Cormier won. Abdelaziz:
Anthony’s rights were violated. We will go through the proper legal channels to fix this. Everybody saw what happened. How do you lose 1.2 pounds in two minutes?..We don’t want to take anything away from [Cormier]. He earned that win. But [Cormier] needs to give up 20 percent of his purse to Anthony. He had two extra hours to cut the weight and I think he probably would have made it — but as it happened, I don’t think he made weight…I understand New York is new to regulating mixed martial arts, but they’ve been doing boxing for a long time,” he said. “Everybody is trying to sweep this under the rug, but it’s not going to happen.
Jones: Cormier’s weigh-in ‘One of the dirtiest things I’ve seen in all of sports’
Jones says he cannot believe Cormier’s weigh in.
That was absolutely nuts. I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing. If you focus on his hands you can see him looking down and balancing out his weight just right to make 205. What a clever trick. Pretty dishonest of him. The crazy thing was that it was allowed to happen. I would imagine there would have to be some sort of commission or something to go back and see this blatant foul play and address it. They just completely got away with doing one of the dirtiest things I’ve seen in sports.
Cormier: McGregor will ‘get killed’ by Mayweather
Cormier gives his opinion on a fight between McGregor and Mayweather.
Floyd kills him. Conor McGregor can’t box Floyd Mayweather. Let’s be real with ourselves. Neither one of these guys can do the other guy’s sport…[But] It’s looking more and more likely. Even if Conor was to fight for $50 million and the UFC took $20 million, you don’t make a $30 million pay day in MMA. You just don’t in one fight…I say go do it.
Cormier will only fight on a McGregor card
Cormier says that, if he beats Anthony Johnston in April’s UFC 210, and faces Jon Jones, who is currently on suspension, that despite traditionally headlining, he and Jones will only fight if a McGregor fight is the top of the card.
Jon and I will not fight in a co-main event to anyone other than Conor McGregor.
Cormier: Don’t blame me for McGregor belt loss
Cormier says he is not to blame for McGregor being stripped of his belt after his injury caused the UFC to elevate the co-main event between Anthony Pettis and Max Holloway into a UFC interim featherweight title fight.
Just think about how ridiculous that is, that it’s my fault Conor McGregor got stripped. I didn’t say ‘I’m not going to fight so he can lose his belt.’ It doesn’t matter to me.
Compares McGregor to Austin, Ortiz
Cormier talks about McGregor, and compares him to Austin and Ortiz.
He is ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin from 2000. The guy that you’re supposed to kinda root against, but you want to root for. Everything that he does before would have gotten people to boo you. But it’s like they’ve taken to it. It’s something so different that what they’re used to seeing the people love it. I think it’s fine…Like I used to tell people when they used to ask about Tito Ortiz. I’m like you’re gonna pay to see the man fight because you want to see him either win, or you want to see him lose. He talks it and he backs it up. And Conor does the same thing. He’s working magic for the UFC.
Cormier: Lesnar bigger star than McGregor
Cormier says UFC 200 will be a bigger draw than UFC 202 because Lesnar is a bigger star than McGregror.
I think UFC 200 will undoubtedly be the most successful pay-per-view in UFC history. You have nine former or current UFC champions on the card. You have one of the fights just to start, the first fight of the night, might be either Diego Sanchez vs. Joe Lauzon or Takanori Gomi vs. Jim Miller. These are sick fights, and they’re the ones who are opening the curtain. T.J. Dillashaw is on the card against Raphael Assuncao. Cat Zingano vs. Julianna Pena, two fireballs. And then when the main card starts, Cain Velasquez, who has been in the main event of every fight card he’s been on for the last six years, is fighting to open the night against Travis Browne. How sick is that? The return of Brock Lesnar. Conor McGregor is a massive star in the UFC, as is Nate Diaz, but I can’t imagine people would say that Brock isn’t the biggest star UFC has ever seen.
UFC 200: McGregor-Diaz replaced with Cormier-Jones
UFC announces that Cormier and Jones will lead the ticket for UFC 200, a light heavyweight bout that replaces McGregor v. Diaz. Cormier and Jones were originally set to rematch at UFC 197, until Cormier had to pull out due to injury.
