LAS VEGAS — The UFC 187 post-fight press conference was supposed to be Daniel Cormier’s victory lap, his chance to parade in front of the media with his newly won UFC light heavyweight title belt and talk about his victory over Anthony Johnson.
But Ryan Bader was there to make a nuisance of himself, as he had all week long.
Cormier was originally scheduled to meet Bader in the main event of a June UFC Fight Night card in New Orleans. But when Jon Jones was removed from UFC 187 and a spot in the main event for the vacant belt opened up, Cormier outmaneuvered Bader to land the fight.
The tension finally boiled over late Saturday night, as the duo got into a shouting match at the MGM Grand, with Bader rushing from the back of the room to the area in front of the podium before security got in between the two.
That led to a back-and-forth sideshow during fight week, with the two taking shots at one another in the press and over social media.
“This is my press conference,” Cormier said. “Get the f— outta here.”
Cormier was asked about his plans for the light heavyweight championship, should Jones’ legal trouble keep him out of action for an extended period of time.
“We’ve got to shift our focus,” Cormier said. “Somebody else needs to get his ass kicked too. I think he’s around here.”
Bader, at this point, challenged Cormier to get into it then and there. Cormier had the microphone, so he dominated the conversation.
“I’m going to beat the s— out of him next time,” Cormier said. “You keep talking, baby. Keep talking, keep talking. This guy’s so disrespectful, I’m trying to fight Anthony Johnson, and Ryan Bader is writing me stupid messages on Twitter because he thinks he deserves a title shot. C’mon Ryan. You can come and fight me, you can get your ass kicked.”
Bader claimed Cormier tried to duck out of a fight with him, but Cormier got the last word as Bader was ushered away.
“Not once did I say I don’t want to fight Ryan Bader,” Cormier said. “I just wanted an easy paycheck. I asked to fight you multiple times, b—- I asked to fight you. They said Daniel, what do you want, I said I want the easiest fight in the division, Ryan Bader.”