WASHINGTON — UFC Freedom 250 saw more controversy, even before the fighters took to the octagon, as mixed-martial arts announcer Daniel Cormier posted an exchange in which Eric Trump, son of U.S. President Donald Trump, sought inside betting information about the fight card.
In an X post Cormier made, and then quickly deleted early Sunday evening, he shared screenshots of several direct messages sent by the younger Trump late Saturday night.
“Are any of the fighters injured that you know of?” Trump asked Cormier, who then responded, “I’m not quite sure why you’re asking me this but I think they’re all in good shape.”
Trump then messaged, “I’ll just cut to the chase. Are any of the fights tomorrow rigged? I’ve been eyeing the [Diego] Lopes fight and I think an upset wouldn’t be too unrealistic. $$.”
Above a screenshot of that exchange, Cormier decried the overtures from Trump.
“I’m probably going to get a lot of flak for bringing this to light, however, I refuse to stay silent,” Cormier wrote. “The UFC is a sport that I am deeply passionate about. I will not tolerate this type of insider behavior. Shame on anyone trying to ruin this beautiful event.”
About 15 minutes after making that post, though, Cormier deleted it. When asked about it before UFC Freedom 250 began, a UFC spokesman said he had “no clue” about the situation. Cormier is a UFC announcer and official promotional ambassador, and is banned from wagering on any UFC events.
Later Sunday, Cormier tweeted, “Are people really that dumb?” Similarly, Eric Trump posted, “This is completely fake! I have never reached out to Daniel. In fact, this is scary.”
Many longtime MMA observers, however, said they saw the original Cormier post in real time.
Bigger Themes
The Eric Trump situation represents the latest, and perhaps most damning episode in a series of controversies surrounding the high-profile event staged on the White House South Lawn and adjacent Ellipse.
The close relationship between Donald Trump and UFC president Dana White has been a constant backdrop to Freedom 250, along with the related political overtones.
Heavyweight Josh Hokit, meanwhile, has been a disruptive presence throughout the weekend with a series of bizarre statements and actions.
Recent disclosures also showed that Donald Trump bought between $15,000 and $50,000 in shares of UFC parent company TKO Group Holdings, putting him in a position to benefit from any returns from Freedom 250.
