Cormier Responds To Hypocrisy Claims After Steveson Criticism

Daniel Cormier addressed criticism that he held Gable Steveson to a standard he himself failed to meet nine years ago.

After Steveson got knocked out in 12 seconds by Sean Sharaf at UFC 331 and left the cage before the official decision, Cormier ripped the Olympic gold medalist on the broadcast for poor sportsmanship. The former two-division champion said Steveson should sit there and take his loss, as Cormier claimed he did in his own defeats.

Cormier Admits He Forgot His Own UFC 214 Exit

Social media users quickly surfaced footage from UFC 214 showing Cormier refusing to stand for the decision after his knockout loss to Jon Jones, according to MMA Fighting. The result was later overturned to a no-contest when Jones failed a drug test.

Cormier responded Tuesday on social media, saying he had no memory of the moment. "Wait I did that? Honestly this is what I mean when I say I remember nothing from after the kick landed until I got into the ambulance and 9 years later I still can't find the memory," he wrote, per the report.

Jones, who mentors Steveson, took responsibility for the cage exit at UFC 331, saying he wanted to get the wrestler backstage to check on him. Steveson has not commented publicly on the loss or the controversy.

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• MMA Fighting — Daniel Cormier responds to hypocrisy criticism after ripping Gable Steveson for bad sportsmanship at UFC 331