The UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House has now concluded. There was drama before as objections to the gigantic arena on the South Lawn grew, and drama during as heavyweight Josh Hokit gave a post-fight interview in which he said: “Michelle Obama is a man.”
But the biggest controversy may be brewing away from the Octagon. On June 14, former UFC champion and current commentator Daniel Cormier posted a series of screenshots of Instagram DMs that appeared to be between him and Eric Trump.
🚨 In a now-deleted post, Daniel Cormier exposed Eric Trump for asking him if any of the UFC White House fights were rigged:
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 14, 2026
"I'm probably going to get a lot of flak for bringing this to light, however I refuse to stay silent… Shame on anyone trying to ruin this beautiful… pic.twitter.com/0GldF9HOOG
In the now-deleted tweet, Cormier apparently explains his reasons for making the post:
“I’m probably going to get a lot of flak for bringing this to light, however I refuse to stay silent. The UFC is a sport that I am deeply passionate about I will not tolerate this type of insider behavior. Shame on anyone trying to ruin this beautiful event.”
The screenshotted conversation attached shows an account identifying itself as Eric Trump requesting inside information ahead of UFC Freedom 250, specifically asking if any of the fighters were injured, if any fights were “rigged”, and showing interest in betting on an upset. In the screenshots, Cormier replied: “No none of our fights rigged and honestly I am appalled you would even ask me something like that.” Soon after posting these images, Cormier deleted them.
“We are aware of the fake, AI generated screenshots being circulated online”
Eric Trump denies the screenshotted conversation ever took place and described the screenshots as “fake” and “AI generated,” underlining that he has “never spoken to Daniel”:
We are aware of the fake, AI generated screenshots being circulated online. I have never spoken to Daniel. He has since deleted his post, which confirms it was clearly fabricated. @UFC @danawhite
— Eric Trump (@EricTrump) June 15, 2026
Cormier himself commented on the matter, saying, simply: “Are people really this dumb?”:
Are people really this dumb?
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) June 14, 2026
As of writing, confusion reigns. Both sides of this supposed conversation deny that it took place and that the screenshotted conversation is fabricated. But users are wondering why Cormier would have posted the screenshots in the first place – “Why would Daniel Cormier fake DMs that he was in?” – with a community note on Eric’s post pointing out:
“Multiple journalists and eyewitnesses confirm Daniel Cormier posted the screenshots himself before deleting them. Deleting a post from a verified account does not confirm fabrication, and participants in a conversation cannot ‘fall for’ AI fakes of their own direct messages.”
More on this as we hear it.
