Daniel Cormier: I would punch Conor McGregor if he stole my title belt
Conor McGregor stirred up a pot of controversy earlier this week when he was in his hometown of Dublin, Ireland, alongside UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo as they promoted their upcoming bout at UFC 189 in July.
Aldo decided to announce himself as the "King of Dublin", which not only angered an already raucous crowd but incensed McGregor, who quickly jumped up from his table, reached over UFC president Dana White and snatched the Brazilian's title belt that sat in front of him.
Like a wild soldier celebrating the spoils of war, McGregor held the title high in the air as he screamed in Aldo's face and proclaimed he was indeed the true king of Dublin.
The two fighters had to be separated by security and the title was eventually returned to its rightful owner, but the entire altercation caused quite the uproar amongst fighters and fans alike. Should McGregor have actually grabbed the title belt? What should Aldo have done in response, other than jump up and try to reclaim it?
"UFC Tonight" co-host Daniel Cormier, along with Kenny Florian, weighed in on the subject this week and the former two-time Olympian admits he would have had a much different reaction than Aldo did if McGregor leapt from his seat and grabbed the title belt sitting in front of him.
"If it was me, we are in Ireland so the Nevada State Athletic Commission does not oversee that -- I would have punched him, directly in his face and said, 'Get your little grubby hands off of my title!'" Cormier said.
Cormier is no stranger to controversial moments at press conferences, after a staredown with UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones in Aug. 2014 turned volatile, erupting into a full-on brawl in the middle of the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. The Nevada State Athletic Commission ended up fining both Jones and Cormier for their roles in the skirmish.
With no commission around to stop them because Ireland doesn't have a committee to oversee MMA in the country, Cormier promises he would have reached around the UFC president and thrown everything he had into a punch to make sure the man who stole his belt knew he meant business.
It's probably a good thing Cormier wasn't the one with the title belt on the dais or a lot of people would have been given a front-row seat to a free preview version of UFC 189 about three months early.
