Caught Red-Handed: Islam Makhachev Roasts Daniel Cormier for Barely Showing Up at AKA

Few things in mixed martial arts land better than the ongoing back-and-forth between Daniel Cormier and Islam Makhachev. The former two-division champion and the current pound-for-pound king have spent years busting each other’s chops at American Kickboxing Academy, but Makhachev recently caught "DC" slipping.

Ahead of his lightweight title defense against Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 in Philadelphia, Makhachev sat down with Cormier for a pre-fight interview. Instead of sticking to fight talk, the champ decided to conduct a quick audit on Cormier’s attendance at their home gym in San Jose, California.

The setup was simple. Makhachev looked Cormier in the eye and asked him when he was last at AKA. Cormier, trying to protect his credibility, didn't hesitate. “I went to AKA one month ago,” Cormier claimed.

Makhachev shut it down instantly. “No,” he said.

With his story already falling apart, Cormier tried passing the buck to head coach Javier Mendez, telling Makhachev to check with Mendez to verify the story. But Makhachev came armed with facts.

“Javier hasn’t been to AKA in one year,” Makhachev fired back.

Nobody Escapes the AKA Attendance Audit

Cormier’s defense crumbled on the spot. Makhachev called out the move immediately, trying to use Javier Mendez as an alibi would not work because the AKA head coach travels all around the world to corner his fighters. 

It’s the exact brand of deadpan, zero-filter humor fans love from Makhachev. While Cormier retired to the broadcast desk years ago, Makhachev remains the standard-bearer for the gym. The 34-year-old champion enters his matchup with Garry holding a 28-1 professional record, anchored by a 16-fight winning streak inside the Octagon.

That streak ties Hall of Famer Anderson Silva for the longest winning run in Ultimate Fighting Championship history. Garry comes in at 17-1 looking to pull off a massive upset, but Makhachev seems completely untroubled by the pressure.

If anything, Makhachev seems just as focused on keeping his teammates honest as he is on fighting top contenders. For Cormier, the exchange was a funny reminder that you cannot slide a fake story past Makhachev, especially when it comes to who actually shows up to put in work.

Coach Mendez might be racking up frequent flyer miles across the globe, but back in San Jose, Makhachev is keeping attendance records. DC will definitely need to step foot inside the building before trying that excuse again.