What happened between Jake Paul and Daniel Cormier?
Jake Paul and Daniel Cormier have shared a long-standing beef going back to Paul's KO victory over Ben Askren.
The YouTuber-turned-celebrity boxer was involved in a backstage row with former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley ahead of his knockout win over 'Funky'.
Daniel Cormier openly voiced his disapproval of Jake Paul's behavior on Twitter, warning the YouTuber to steer clear of fighters like Woodley.
Jake Paul responded by calling out the former two-division UFC champion for a boxing match, while labeling him a 'fat boy'.
The beef between Cormier and Paul escalated after Paul's attendance at UFC 261. The fully packed VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida made no secret of their feelings towards the YouTuber as chants of 'F*** Jake Paul' erupted during the preliminary card.
This caught the attention of 'DC', who rushed towards Paul, threatening to slap the 24-year old for calling him out on social media.
Daniel Cormier agreed to fight Jake Paul
Daniel Cormier weighed in on his face-to-face confrontation with Jake Paul in an episode of DC & Helwani following the incident.
While Cormier reluctantly agreed to fight Jake Paul, he wanted to do so in an MMA bout instead of boxing. Vowing to protect his legacy, Daniel Cormier told Ariel Helwani:
"My name will not be used as a springboard. I love my legacy and I will protect my legacy. And if protecting my legacy means I gotta slap this kid upside his head, that's what I'll do. I wanted to grab him by the face and smash him into the ground. But you can't do that at work. I would have gotten in trouble. I'm going to rip his face apart. I'm going to hurt the kid. I will teach these kids not to continue to do this with people like me -- athletes... I'm gonna choke him, I'm gonna elbow him. I'm gonna hurt him."
But Jake Paul does not seem keen on facing the former two-division UFC champion in his own realm. Refusing to face Daniel Cormier in an MMA bout, Jake Paul told Helwani in a later interview:
"I find it funny, because he's challenging me in something I've never trained in. He's trained boxing and striking and stand up and has been in there with Stipe [Miocic], Jon Jones. He's been in there with the best of the best striking. So why not box? You want to go against me in something I've never trained in before? Of course."