UFC legend Daniel Cormier has admitted that he is 'upset' with Tom Aspinall after their private conversation was leaked.
Ahead of UFC 321, Aspinall conducted several media interviews, including a one-to-one with Cormier for his YouTube channel.
After their conversation, Cormier pulled Aspinall aside and spoke of the opportunities that lie ahead of him, saying he could go on remarkable run in the heavyweight division.
In doing so, the ex-UFC light-heavyweight and heavyweight champion took aim at Jailton Almeida, claiming he 'can't fight' as he prepared for an eliminator against Alexander Volkov on the UFC 321 main-card.
Advert
"These matchups in this division, like, do you know what type of f**king run you can go on? It would be crazy,” Cormier told Aspinall. “You can like change your life. Because I mean, what is it? Jailton Almeida is fighting [Volkov]. Jailton can’t fight. [Even if Volkov wins], you beat him in the first round. It could get f**king crazy."
On Monday, Cormier and co-host Chael Sonnen discussed the fallout from UFC 321, which saw Aspinall vs. Gane end in a no contest.
'DC' brought up his private conversation with the Brit, revealing he is a 'little upset' with Aspinall's camp for releasing the footage.
"I was literally trying to tell him you could possibly be on the verge of something tremendously special right now,” he explained on Good Guy / Bad Guy.
"In that statement, I was saying Jailton’s going to grapple you. It’s not as dangerous a fight. I could have done a better job of saying that to Tom.
"Now I was a little upset that Tom and them released that, if I’m being honest with you. I thought when you lean into someone and you’re talking quietly, that’s a private conversation that should stay between you and the athlete. I thought it was Embedded, and I know that Embedded would never do something like that."
Cormier went onto add that he 'feels bad' for Almeida and assessed his defeat to Volkov at UFC 321.
"Regardless of what you’re saying, whether you’re saying it in jest or you’re being honest, Jailton Almeida deserves respect, and I do respect him and I feel bad. He’s been so nice to me since he got into the UFC, and I think Jailton Almeida’s a great guy," he added.
"I think that he does need to round out his game. Because the grappling is elite, but there’s no damage. Even Dana [White] went up there after the fight and was like 'I’m so glad that Volkov won because you don’t just get to take somebody down and hold them down'."
Volkov vs. Almeida was viewed as a potential No.1 contender fight.
But given the outcome of Aspinall vs. Gane, Volkov, who scored a split decision victory at UFC 321, won't be getting a shot at the title next.
Topics: Tom Aspinall, Daniel Cormier, UFC
Nasir Jabbar