"Wrong place, wrong time" - Phil Hawes apologizes to Daniel Cormier for heated octagon exchange at UFC Fight Night

Phil Hawes apologizes to Daniel Cormier [Photo credit: Daniel Cormier and MMA Junkie on YouTube, @SpinningBackfist on Twitter]

Phil Hawes has cleared the air with Daniel Cormier, who he tried to pick a fight with after his UFC Austin bout.

Just moments after Hawes finished Deron Winn, the middleweight contender called Cormier's attention to tell him off. 'No Hype' was apparently upset that the former two-division UFC champion picked Winn, Cormier's longtime student and protege, to emerge victorious in the fight.

Catch the heated exchange below:

Phil Hawes (-10000) vs Daniel Cormier (+1850)

https://t.co/lG9GxaaMVq

Hawes even went as far as challenging Cormier to a fight. He told the commentator:

"I'll cool off and next week you can fight me."

Referee Herb Dean quickly got in between the two to defuse the situation. Cormier then explained to Hawes that he does not pick fight results as he is part of the commentary team.

Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed as Hawes realized his mistake and immediately apologized to 'DC.' He also turned back to Cormier to shake his hand.

During the post-fight press conference, Hawes elaborated on his heated confrontation with Cormier:

"It's just a misunderstanding on my behalf, you know, 'cause 'DC' is such a role model to me. You know what I mean? Two-weight world champion and just a freaking stellar dude. So there was a little miscommunication, wrong place, wrong time. I apologize, 'DC'. Don't beat me up."

Watch Phil Hawes' press conference interview below:

Phil Hawes brutalizes Daniel Cormier's student

An unfortunate incident with Daniel Cormier aside, Phil Hawes still had a great night in Austin, Texas overall.

'No Hype' blasted Winn with brutal strikes, leaving him bloodied and battered. In round two, Hawes went for the kill when he landed a barrage of vicious elbows that visibly hurt the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) veteran.

At that point, referee Herb Dean was forced to intervene and call for the stoppage at the 4:25 mark of the second round. Winn tried to protest the call, but immediately fell to his knees, proving Dean's decision correct.

Phil Hawes dominates Deron Winn before finding the finish in Round 2 😤 #UFCAustin

(via @espnmma) https://t.co/r2rWl4VKF4

The victory brought Hawes back to the win column, bouncing back from his 2021 knockout loss to Chris Curtis. Meanwhile, Winn suffered his third defeat in four fights.