On the evening of June 14, 2026, fight night for UFC Freedom 250 at the White House South Lawn, Daniel Cormier’s X account briefly became the most-discussed page in MMA. The former two-division UFC champion and current commentator posted what appeared to be screenshots of a direct message conversation with Eric Trump, son of President Donald Trump, in which Trump allegedly asked whether any fights on the card were “rigged” and whether Cormier could offer any betting tips.
Daniel Cormier Eric Trump DMs: What Actually Happened at UFC Freedom 250
The screenshots showed a conversation progressing from small talk about the event into something more pointed. In the exchange, the account identified as Eric Trump reportedly asked Cormier about injured fighters, who he thought would win, and whether Cormier himself was placing any bets.
Cormier responded that he was not permitted to bet as a commentator. The conversation then, according to the screenshots, took a sharp turn, Trump’s account allegedly wrote: “I’ll just cut to the chase. Are any of the fights tomorrow rigged? I’ve been eyeing the Lopes fight and I think an upset wouldn’t be too unrealistic. $$” Cormier’s reply in the screenshots read: “No none of our fights rigged and honestly I am appalled that you would even ask me something like that.”
Cormier paired the post with the caption: “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 post was live for approximately 15 minutes before Cormier deleted it. What happened next made the situation stranger. Rather than explaining why he pulled the post, Cormier’s account tweeted: “Are people really this dumb?” a comment that appeared to mock anyone who believed the screenshots were real, even though Cormier had been the one to post them in the first place.
Multiple journalists confirmed they had seen the original tweet before it disappeared. MMA reporter Adam Martin wrote on X: “Since I’ve gotten a few DMs about this — yes, the DC tweet was 100% real, I saw it myself. Others saw it. People screen captured it. DC tweeted and deleted it quickly.” Martin also noted Cormier had not done anything wrong and floated the possibility that Eric Trump’s account may have been hacked.
Sports reporter AJ Perez similarly confirmed the post’s existence and said he saw it himself. A UFC spokesman, when asked about the situation before the event began, told Front Office Sports he had “no clue” about it.
Eric Trump came out swinging with a flat denial. He posted on X: “This is completely fake! I have never reached out to Daniel. In fact, this is scary.” In a follow-up post he added: “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.” He tagged the UFC and Dana White in both messages. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Trump said: “That is absolutely not me. I didn’t even know who the guy was… This is some kind of AI spoof. This is crazy.”
Eric Trump then edited the Tweet several times, adding to the odd situation.
Kimberly Benza, Director of Executive Operations and Communications at The Trump Organization, also posted that the screenshots were “fabricated and do not reflect reality,” adding that “false information can spread quickly when people don’t verify what they’re seeing”. Notably, Eric Trump’s logic, that Cormier deleting the post was itself proof it was fake, drew scepticism online, since deleting a post does not confirm or deny what was in it.
What remains genuinely unclear is the origin of the screenshots. The three most plausible scenarios are: Cormier’s account was hacked and an unknown third party posted real or fabricated DMs; Cormier posted real DMs he received, then was persuaded to take them down; or Cormier posted AI-generated screenshots himself, either as a prank or in error, then deleted them once he realised the fallout. None of the parties have provided a clear account of what actually happened. Cormier himself has not issued a direct statement addressing the sequence of events beyond his cryptic “Are people really this dumb?” post.
UFC Freedom 250 went ahead on the night, with Justin Gaethje pulling off a stunning upset to defeat Ilia Topuria by TKO in round four to claim the undisputed lightweight title, and Ciryl Gane stopping Alex Pereira in round two to take the interim heavyweight belt. The fight card delivered drama of its own, though few events at the White House managed to generate controversy quite as fast as a tweet that lasted roughly a quarter of an hour.
