LAS VEGAS — Daniel Cormier is now an official member of the Modern Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame and has been busy during his induction speech.
Since the official weigh-in at UFC 210, Cormier has been adamant he didn’t cheat as he recorded his official weight for the second time for his title shot against Anthony Johnson.
Cormier tipped the scales at 206.2 pounds on his first attempt, but magically hit the 205-pound mark on his second attempt just minutes later. The incident became known as “Towelgate”.
More than five years later, Cormier finally revealed what happened that day with a beautiful speech in which he thanked his late parents, his manager Bob Cook and teammates like Cain Velasquez, among others, for the success in his career.
“Guys, I want to tell you guys something because I think now is the time to be completely transparent,” Cormier said. “I think I grabbed the towel in Buffalo.
“I went back to back after losing 1.2 pounds, it was 1.2. I’ve been trying to give it up, folks, believe me, I’ve been trying to give it up. I had a pound to lose, they even went and called my wife to try and get me back in the tub. I said, ‘No way, this shit is over.’ She told me, Daniel, just take a hot bath. I say, ‘It’s not that simple.’”
That’s when Cormier’s nutritionist, Dan Leith, reminded him of some old tricks wrestlers used to trick the system when they hit the scale a little heavier than expected.
“He’s like, ‘DC, remember that old wrestling trick?'” Cormier continued. “I said can you stand behind me? Because there are two. You can put your hands behind you and the person can pick you up. He said no, it’s the towel.
“But do you understand the level of ridiculousness that has to happen for this to work? I looked down and couldn’t believe my luck. I am a lucky guy. Even if I lost, somehow the belt would come back to me. I thought I was lucky. So I look down and the commissioner is down on the floor looking at the scales. There is a second lady. I look down and she’s right next to him, so I grab the towel and I’m like, ‘Shit, we’re getting home for free!’”
With the weight of “Towelgate” off his back, there was only one thing left to do and that was to apologize to his opponent at UFC 210, whom Cormier defeated with a rear naked choke in the second round.
“‘Rumble’, sorry, my boy,” Cormier said with a smile.