"That was kinda your fault"- Daniel Cormier gets candid on "embarrassing" Ariel Helwani and Chael Sonnen spat during interview
Daniel Cormier recently shared his thoughts on Ariel Helwani's heated interview with Chael Sonnen a few weeks ago. Cormier admitted that their brutal exchange was quite surprising given their friendly relationship and revealed that he couldn't watch the interview beyond a point.
For context, Helwani and Sonnen got into a screaming match earlier this month after the Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou boxing match. While their discussion was initially cordial and professional, the interview went off the rails after the Fury-Ngannou pay-per-view sales and the Cameroonian's purse were brought up.
In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Daniel Cormier shared his two cents on the heated conversation. Cormier surprisingly blamed the MMA journalist for causing the conflict and said:
"That was kinda your fault, a little bit. I got to be honest with you, I don't know what y'all were doing. It was embarrassing, and it was uncomfortable to watch. I turned it off; I couldn't watch it anymore. I was like, 'This is bad. You guys are so bad.' You antagonize Chael, and Chael antagonizes you, how does a friendship actually survive this?"
Catch Cormier's comments below (28:00):
Daniel Cormier on Tom Aspinall's status as the interim heavyweight champion
Tom Aspinall defeated Sergei Pavlovich via first-round knockout at UFC 295 in New York to become the interim UFC heavyweight champion. However, Daniel Cormier believes the Englishman should be the undisputed heavyweight champion if the division's reigning kingpin, Jon Jones, plans only to fight Stipe Miocic next.
While UFC 295 was initially meant to be headlined by a Jones vs. Miocic title fight, 'Bones' was forced out of the bout due to a pectoral tendon injury. The UFC heavyweight champion was forced to undergo surgery and will be engaged in physical rehabilitation for the next few months.
With Jon Jones out, the promotion roped in Tom Aspinall to face Sergei Pavlovich on short notice for the interim heavyweight championship. The Englishman's incredible performance impressed many, with Daniel Cormier suggesting that he deserves to be the undisputed champion.
In the same interview with Ariel Helwani, 'DC' explained why he thinks Jones should be stripped of his title:
"I said that I believe that fight, before Sergei lost, was for the undisputed title because if Jones and Stipe are only going to fight each other, then you cannot have Tom Aspinall then defend the interim championship... If he's only going to fight Stipe, and that's not for another, what, eight months, seven months, I think you put Aspinall as the champ, and I don't think anybody would bat an eyelid."