UFC commentator and Eric Trump deny alleged betting DMs

A bizarre social media controversy involving UFC commentator Daniel Cormier and Eric Trump, the son of former President Donald Trump, erupted just hours before the historic UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House. Both men now firmly deny that a direct message exchange, which appeared to show Trump seeking insider betting information, ever took place.

The incident began on Sunday, June 14, when screenshots of an alleged private conversation were posted to Cormier’s verified X account. The images depicted a chat where Eric Trump asked Cormier about fighter injuries and wagering opportunities ahead of the fights. The purported exchange culminated with Trump asking, “Are any of the fights tomorrow rigged?” specifically mentioning the Diego Lopes bout. Cormier’s account responded with a post stating, “No none of our fights rigged and honestly I am appalled that you would even ask me something like that.” The initial post from Cormier’s account included a caption saying he refused to stay silent about such “insider behavior.”

The post was deleted within minutes, but screenshots had already spread widely online. Eric Trump was the first to publicly refute the messages, calling them...