Daniel Cormier Tells All About ‘Towel-Gate’ During UFC Hall Of Fame Induction

Cormier went through a brutal weight cut at UFC 210, seeking to defend his light heavyweight championship for the second time. He ended up above the 205-pound limit on his first try. When Cormier went to the scale seconds later, he stripped naked and stood behind a towel before it was announced that he had reached his target weight of 205 pounds.

The ‘towel-gate’ incident was one of the most debated moments in Cormier’s career, and he finally decided to come clean during his induction into the UFC Hall of Fame. Cormier officially admitted on Thursday, June 30 that he may have had some help in making weight for his match against Anthony Johnson.

Cormier revealed on stage, “Guys, I want to tell you something because I feel like right now is the time to be completely transparent. think I may have grabbed the towel in Buffalo.”

Cormier then highlighted how tough it was for him to achieve the light heavyweight limit that day and how he seemed to be willing to give up, which could have resulted in the UFC championship being revoked.

That’s when one of Cormier’s friends and trainers informed him about an old wrestling technique that may give him just enough weight to tip the balance in his favor.

Cornier explained, “I walked to the back after missing weight by 1.2 pounds. It was 1.2. I tried to give it up, guys. Trust me, I tried to give it up. I had a pound to lose. They even went and called my wife to try and get me back in the tub. I said no way, this sh*t is over. She told me ‘Daniel, just take a hot bath.’ I go, it’s not that simple.”

“I walk back, he goes, ‘DC, do you remember the old wrestling trick?’ I said, can you stand behind me? Because there’s two — you can put your hands behind you and your person can lift you up. He said, ‘No, it’s the towel one.,” Cormier continued.

In order to pull off the trick, Cormier had to place his hands on the towel while he was standing on the scale. This would appear to reduce his weight to the required 205 pounds.

Cormier acknowledges that the day was lucky for him since the New York Athletic Commission, which was in charge of the weigh-ins in Buffalo, overlooked the fact that he touched the towel before getting his official weight.

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