Daniel Cormier called out for misidentifying Kumail Nanjiani in 'Eternals'; tweets apology in response

Daniel Cormier mistakes Kumail Nanjiani for Kal Penn [Left image credit: @dc_mma and right image credit: @kumailn via Instagram]

There is not a person in the world of mixed martial arts who Daniel Cormier does not know. However, when it comes to Hollywood, it seems like the former two-division champion might need some brushing up.

Daniel Cormier took to Twitter recently while watching Marvel Studio's latest release, Eternals, directed by the Oscar-winning Chloe Zhao. In the tweet, DC mistook Pakistani-American actor-comedian Kumail Nanjiani for an actor-turned-politician of Indian descent, Kal Penn.

Here's what Daniel Cormier tweeted:

"Finally watching the eternals and what happened to Harold and Kumar? Dude is all ripped and sh*t now."

Finally watching the eternals and what happened to Harold and Kumar? Dude is all ripped and shit now

Kal Penn, full name Kalpen Suresh Modi, portrayed one half of the iconic duo from the Harold & Kumar film franchise. He played the role of Kumar Patel alongside John Cho's Harold Lee in all three movies of the series.

Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (Danny Leiner, 2004) https://t.co/xDr6NcWS5q

Fans were quick to point out that the two actors were, in fact, different people. Daniel Cormier soon sent out a tweet apologizing for his mistake and acknowledged Kumail Nanjiani as 'the guy from Silicon Valley'. Nanjiani did star in Silicon Valley, portraying the role of 'Dinesh'.

Made mistake man. It’s normal brother I thought it was that guy. Wrong movie it’s the guy from Silicon Valley. My apologies twitter.com/kmshaikh/statu…

He said it was an honest mistake and apologized in case he had upset anyone.

I made a mistake brother and if I upset someone I apologize. It was literally a mistake. twitter.com/kmshaikh/statu…

Indian-Canadian mixed martial artist Arjan Singh Bhullar, who trains at Daniel Cormier's gym American Kickboxing Academy, came to DC's defense. Bhullar stated that Cormier was 'no racist' and had love and respect for the culture.

Thank you brother Arjan, I legit made a mistake. Much love my brother twitter.com/theoneasb/stat…

Ali Abdelaziz, manager of Daniel Cormier's close friend Khabib Nurmagomedov, also defended him on Twitter.

Dc Loves everyone twitter.com/kmshaikh/statu…

Kumail Nanjiani plays the role of 'Kingo' in Eternals, whose superpower as an 'Eternal' is that he can project cosmic energy from his hands.

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Daniel Cormier's joke about not calling Max Holloway fight misinterpreted

The misidentification of Kumail Nanjiani was not the first time Daniel Cormier has had to clarify his stance on Twitter in recent times.

Ahead of last week's UFC Fight Night 197, Cormier jokingly said on the DC & RC podcast that he was not "allowed" to commentate during Max Holloway's fights anymore because he was too "biased".

Fans took the statement more seriously than it was meant. Daniel Cormier had to take to social media to explain that it was a joke. He also explained the real reason behind his absence from the UFC Fight Night event and how it had nothing to do with Max Holloway:

"Guys, I didn’t get removed from calling [Max Holloway's] fight. It was a joke. I called Abu Dhabi and called New York. Was away from my family for 13 days. Needed some time home with my family. Will be watching for sure. Just got off phone with Max! Tune in early tomorrow," Daniel Cormier wrote on Twitter.

Guys, I didn’t get removed from calling @BlessedMMA fight. It was a joke. I called Abu Dhabi and called New York. Was away from my family for 13 days. Needed some time home with my family. Will be watching for sure. Just got off phone with Max! Tune in early tomorrow.