‘Such a C**k’ – Daniel Cormier Under Fire for Defending Usman Nurmagomedov’s UFC Shanghai Cage Jump
Daniel Cormier finds himself at the center of controversy following UFC Shanghai:
All it took for the “Kung Fu Kid” was less than seven minutes to dispatch Umar Nurmagomedov. Song Yadong, in a fairy-tale homecoming in the UFC Shanghai main event, made quick work of his Dagestani opponent and, in the process, announced his arrival in the bantamweight title picture.
While the elder Nurmagomedov suffered the first knockout loss of his UFC career, UFC Shanghai also picked up a controversial moment involving his younger brother. As soon as the referee waved off the bout, Usman Nurmagomedov jumped into the cage and rushed toward Umar. The timing put him directly in Yadong’s path as the Chinese contender was still celebrating the biggest win of his career.
The moment quickly went viral, with fans and several fighters interpreting Usman’s movements as an attempt to elbow the Chinese phenom. But when his AKA teammate Daniel Cormier came to Usman’s defense, the former UFC champion found plenty of fans waiting for him in the replies.
Daniel Cormier Defends Usman Nurmagomedov After UFC Shanghai Cage Jump
DC saw the same chaotic moment as everyone else, but he came away with a very different interpretation of what happened. Following the card, speaking about the incident, the former UFC champion acknowledged that the PFL lightweight champion was not supposed to enter the Octagon.
However, Cormier pushed back against the idea that Usman deliberately tried to attack Yadong.
He said, “Usman Nurmagomedov jumped into the octagon after the fight, Khabib (Nurmagomedov) tries to stop him. Song Yadong is running in the direction of Usman, Usman reacts like he reaches to stop him, like they were gonna make contact together. He did not elbow him, let’s stop making conspiracy theories out there, people, he did not elbow him. He did not attack Song Yadong.”
Daniel Cormier Doubles Down on Defense of Nurmagomedov
On the surface, the explanation holds up pretty well. The lightweight had just witnessed his older brother getting knocked unconscious, and like any brother, his first instinct would be to get to him.
DC continued, “What he did was try to get to his brother. Now, that in itself is not allowed. We’re not allowed to do that. But if there’s anyone obviously that you care about immensely and you want to rush to their side in that moment, it’s your brother.”
However, as the former two-division champion addressed, no explanation would erase the ther side of the coin.
The problem was not simply that Usman entered the cage. It was what happened once he got there. Yadong was still celebrating his biggest win, moving around the Octagon, when the two briefly came into close proximity. From certain angles, Usman's movement appeared to resemble an attempt to throw an elbow, which was enough to send social media into overdrive.
Fans Blast DC for Defending Usman Nurmagomedov
The internet was already lit after the dust had settled in Shanghai. Cormier's explanation did little to cool the controversy. If anything, it poured more fuel on it.
Several fans accused the veteran of showing favoritism toward his fellow Dagestani fighters, arguing that he would have interpreted the same incident differently if it involved another camp.
One fan went as far as calling the 47-year-old a “c**k” and accused him of protecting fighters from the Nurmagomedov camp, while another argued that Cormier was ignoring the fact that Yadong was simply celebrating around the cage when Usman entered his path.
Online Criticism of Cormier Relentless
“He almost attacked him and Song wasn’t running towards Usman but around the cage celebrating,” one fan noted. “They took his moment away and Usman should never be in the cage that quick in the first place.”
Another reaction took a more measured approach, acknowledging the emotional circumstances but insisting that they could not justify ignoring the rules.
“I understand the feeling of seeing your brother like that,” the fan wrote. “But you can’t ignore the fact if Song was a different person there would have been chaos and Song’s career would have been ruined in the process.”
Others were even more direct, with one fan sarcastically claiming Cormier's defense had turned them into a Jon Jones supporter.
The criticism was not limited to Cormier's interpretation of the apparent elbow, either. Some fans questioned why Usman was allowed to get into the cage so quickly in the first place, arguing that officials and medical personnel should have been given control of the situation before Umar's brother could intervene.
Thankfully, the confrontation never escalated. Yadong eventually returned to Umar's side, and even Khabib Nurmagomedov was seen helping the Chinese fighter afterward.
