Daniel Cormier learned the hard way that private conversations can still be caught on camera.
Ahead of last weekend’s UFC 321, the UFC Hall of Famer had a one-on-one interview with heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall before his bout with Cyrille Gane. After the interview was over, Cormier pulled Aspinall aside and gave him some more praise, saying he expects Aspinall to do well in the division, especially given the potential matchup.
During the conversation, Cormier pointed out that Jailton Almeida is “unable to fight” as he prepares to fight potential No. 1 contender Alexander Volkov on the card. Almeida attempted multiple takedowns but was unable to generate much meaningful offense and ultimately lost by split decision.
“I was literally trying to tell him that you could be going through something really special right now,” Cormier explained. good guy/bad guy on monday. “In that statement, I said that Jaelton would grapple you. It’s not a very dangerous fight. I could have said it better to Tom.”
“To be honest, I was a little upset that Tom and they put it out there. I thought it should be a private conversation between you and the athlete when you’re leaning over someone and talking quietly to them. I thought that was it.” embedded, and i know that embedded I would never do something like that. ”
The video, published on Aspinall’s personal YouTube channel, provides a behind-the-scenes look at his final preparations and all the work that goes into game week, and includes numerous interviews like the one conducted with Cormier.
Aspinall did not directly address his decision to record or publicly release his conversation with Cormier, but acknowledged that the former heavyweight and light heavyweight champion praised him as potentially the greatest heavyweight of all time.
As for Cormier, he addressed criticism of Almeida, who remains ranked in the top 10 heavyweight division but fell short in two of the biggest fights of his career, against Volkov and earlier against Curtis Blaydes.
Whether it’s an honest assessment or not, Cormier regrets that Almeida had to hear him speak like that, especially considering he believed he was just talking directly to Aspinall and not being recorded.
“Jailton Almeida deserves respect, regardless of what he says, whether he’s saying it in jest or whether he’s saying it honestly. I respect him too, but it’s disappointing,” Cormier said. “He’s been very good to me ever since I got into the UFC, and I think Jaylton Almeida is a great guy.
“I think he needs to finish the fight, because his grappling is elite, but it didn’t do any damage. Even Dana (White) went up there after the fight and said, ‘I’m so glad Volkov won. You can’t just take someone down or hold them down.’
This loss will likely keep Almeida out of title talks for the time being, and potentially even longer if he can’t find a way to inflict more damage on his opponent after securing a takedown.
“You sign up to go fight,” Cormier said of Almeida. “You’ve got to fight. You’ve got to really just go out there and fight. I’m sure Jailton will be very upset about that performance and not getting the call after watching that last fight.”