When UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier isn’t eating or sleeping, he’s instigating. Instigating people who are typically due to fight one another.
Last night his targets were middleweight champion Chris Weidman and his American Kickboxing Academy teammate Luke Rockhold, the division’s No. 1 contender.
Yesterday a video interview featuring Weidman somehow made its way round the interwebs, fatefully crossing paths with Cormier. During the interview in question, Weidman simultaneously claimed that ‘There is no competition’ for him at middleweight, that he would soon be making his way north to 205 pounds and that Cormier ‘is running’ from him.
Well, that’s all Cormier needed to work his magic.
people actually say I’m too hard on weidman! @ChrisWeidmanUFC u are the worst lol better worry bout @LukeRockhold pic.twitter.com/Tvp4dqj6Y2
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) July 14, 2015
@dc_mma @ChrisWeidmanUFC ur really starting to spread your wings these days. Too bad I’m gonna have to clip em before the end of the year.
— Luke Rockhold (@LukeRockhold) July 14, 2015
Get him luke! https://t.co/Y6pAZ0KKCD
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) July 14, 2015
@LukeRockhold @dc_mma 🙂 are you having DC write these tweets for you again ?
— Chris Weidman (@ChrisWeidmanUFC) July 14, 2015
@ChrisWeidmanUFC @dc_mma ha! Weidman after I spank u. U can #JoinTheTeam #AKA can be our JV middleweight.
— Luke Rockhold (@LukeRockhold) July 15, 2015
@LukeRockhold ha again this tweet required way too much thought to have been you.Tht being said I will not lose to sum privileged surfer boy
— Chris Weidman (@ChrisWeidmanUFC) July 15, 2015
Get in here guys @LukeRockhold and @ChrisWeidmanUFC going at each other https://t.co/0P9rA90gYK
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) July 15, 2015
@ChrisWeidmanUFC u underestimate my tweets like u underestimate my abilities. What we surfers like to call, Grom beatings r coming your way.
— Luke Rockhold (@LukeRockhold) July 15, 2015
Weidman and Rockhold were penciled in to compete in December on what would have been the UFC’s debut in New York state at Madison Square Garden, but this will have to do for now.
5 MUST-READ STORIES
GOAT. Former PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko says that negotiations are taking place for him to return to fighting and that both UFC and Bellator have been made aware. ‘We have assembled a team of versatile coaches and athletes who will help me in the training process.’
‘I feel like he’s the champion.’ Conor McGregor’s head coach says the interim featherweight champ did no live wrestling in his training camp before UFC 189 due to a knee injury. ‘That was the first full test on the knee and he flew through it.’
Here we go. UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo vows to ‘smash’ Conor McGregor and says he’ll return to training in two weeks. ‘We will run through him no matter when the fight happens, but his time will come.’
‘The lion doesn’t care that the sheep laugh at him.’ B.J. Penn’s has a message for Jose Aldo and says he wouldn’t ever want to see the champ fight below 100 percent.
Red King. Firas Zahabi says Rory MacDonald ‘was fighting a three-round pace, and Robbie Lawler was fighting a five-round pace’ at UFC 189.
Watch The MMA Hour with John Kavanagh, Urijah Faber, Michael Bisping, Ben Rothwell, Firas Zahabi, Todd Duffee, Jon Anik and Seán Sheehan.
MEDIA STEW
Behind the scenes at UFC 189.
Highlights from the UFC Fight Night: San Diego weigh-ins.
Dan Hardy breaks down Michael Bisping vs. Thales Leites and Ross Pearson vs. Evan Dunham for this weekend in Scotland.
Pros predict Frank Mir vs. Todd Duffee.
Play this at MY funeral.
TTTHS.
Long watches.
…
TWEETS
Why, Fedor?
Step aside, the Emperor is coming back. #TheGOAT pic.twitter.com/RzyQSEmzTA
— Michael Chiesa (@MikeMav22) July 14, 2015
Fedor is backkkkkk!!!
— Alistair Overeem (@Alistairovereem) July 14, 2015
Can I be the first to call out Fedor!!!! #MMA #UFC200
— Tim Kennedy (@TimKennedyMMA) July 15, 2015
FEDDOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!! Shut up & take my $!!! https://t.co/B9xfEXVEnO
— TheOnceAndFutureKing (@BensonHenderson) July 15, 2015
Fedor is back!
— Kong Watson (@TomKongWatson) July 14, 2015
FEDOR
— Georgi Karakhanyan (@georgimma) July 14, 2015
https://t.co/WpD9bJUX2C pic.twitter.com/v5WbCV5cYH
— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) July 14, 2015
Dang.
— Cowboy Cerrone (@Cowboycerrone) July 14, 2015
@Cowboycerrone don’t worry your time will come when you will be 0-2 against me
— Rafael dos Anjos (@RdosAnjosMMA) July 15, 2015
Back at it.
Duty calls, #TUF22, Back in LV after 2 days home! Coulda used a longer break. fabiopradobjj got so… https://t.co/DdXp2RRYyR
— Urijah Faber (@UrijahFaber) July 15, 2015
Please be careful.
Okay I need to take lessons from @cowboycerrone I suck at wake boarding https://t.co/BV46Th2uae
— Demetrious Johnson (@MightyMouseUFC) July 15, 2015
Lordy.
There is a lot more going on then the people watching truly understand. Dangerous elements that can negatively https://t.co/DJBbgb1Ywl
— Big John McCarthy (@JohnMcCarthyMMA) July 15, 2015
Effect the fighter for the rest of their lives. Rory was fighting not only Robbie, but other things like aspiration https://t.co/DJBbgb1Ywl
— Big John McCarthy (@JohnMcCarthyMMA) July 15, 2015
Of blood. He is slowly starting to drown. He has to open his mouth to breath because his nose is crushed. By https://t.co/DJBbgb1Ywl
— Big John McCarthy (@JohnMcCarthyMMA) July 15, 2015
Opening his mouth &breathing hard blood is being sucked into his lungs making the transfer of oxygen less efficient https://t.co/DJBbgaKn7L
— Big John McCarthy (@JohnMcCarthyMMA) July 15, 2015
What?
Competition for my neck tattoo the winner will receive a juggernaut pack any artist jus post designs here thanks http://t.co/JKRjSBvo5m
— mark richard hunt (@markhunt1974) July 15, 2015
Got the nose just right.
A fan of mine got my face tattooed on his leg! More fan stories in my article for @Yahoo: https://t.co/u91Owcsmnk pic.twitter.com/spMZtlgVrK
— Rich Franklin (@RichFranklin) July 14, 2015
Johny and Kendrick. Together at last.
Love @kendricklamar‘s new Classic Ventilators. Thanks @Reebok! Available on July 18th!!! @ReebokClassics pic.twitter.com/AIFmwgExKV
— Johny Hendricks (@JohnyHendricks) July 14, 2015
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Announced yesterday (July 14 2015)
NA
FANPOST OF THE DAY
Today’s Fanpost of the Day comes via Moving_Water
Attn: Jamesglory My UFC 189 experience
Hey everyone, ok so here’s why I’m posting this, after Aldo pulled out and the Mendes fight was announced I had commented on an article I would be keeping my ticket and my man Jamesglory replied said he was glad I kept it and to share my experience when I got back and I said I would. So since I’m a man of my word, and SB Nation doesn’t have mailbox messaging I tried to find an article he commented on and hope he would see it. BUT obv there’s so many articles coming out right now, it wasn’t easy to do! So this is copied from the comments in Dave Doyle’s UFC Weekend Aftermath, I didn’t see Jamesglory reply and I got some recs and replies, so we are (thanks to Emmery Myers) for Jamesglory, (my man, what a card! what a weekend!) and anyone else who might be interested in my experience there in Vegas:
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Check out the rest of the post here.
Found something you’d like to see in the Morning Report? Just hit me up on Twitter @SaintMMA and we’ll include it in tomorrow’s column.