UMVA has learned that a shocking controversy has erupted around a viral social media post allegedly showing a conversation between former UFC champion Daniel Cormier and Eric Trump, in which Trump appears to ask for inside information about fighter injuries and potential match-fixing ahead of UFC Freedom 250 at the White House.
The post, which has since been deleted, claimed to show direct messages between Cormier and Eric Trump, with Trump asking Cormier who he had winning, if any fighters were injured, and if any of the fights were "rigged". The exchange sparked widespread outrage and concern about a potential cheating scandal.
Cormier has vehemently denied posting the messages, telling UMVA's sources that "they're not real" and expressing incredulity that anyone would believe such a story. "I can't believe you guys believed that. Like, who believes that?" he said.
According to information obtained by UMVA, the screenshots appear to show Trump trying to leverage inside information that could be used to advance his own bets. The account labeled as Trump in the screenshots asks Cormier, "I'll just cut to the chase...are any of the fights tomorrow rigged? I've been eyeing the Lopes fight and I think an upset wouldn't be too unrealistic. $$."
Cormier allegedly replied to Trump, saying, "No none of our fights rigged and honestly I am appalled you would even ask me something like that." Both Cormier and Trump have since taken to social media to claim that the post was fake.
Cormier has revealed that he believes he was hacked, saying "I got hacked or something" when asked if he was denying posting it to his social media. He also expressed frustration with the media coverage, saying "Who believes stuff like that? That's crazy."
UMVA can exclusively reveal that Cormier has disputed the reporting on the story, saying "Yeah, absolutely" when asked if the journalists claiming he posted it to social media are wrong. The incident has raised questions about the ease with which fake information can spread on social media and the potential consequences for those involved.
