UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier criticized a fan who taunted Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs after he was eliminated from the United States team trials, potentially marking the end of his career.
Daniel Cormier, UFC Hall of Famer, and two-time Olympic wrestler, doesn’t have patience for rude fans. He’s made that clear.
Last Friday, Jordan Burroughs, an Olympic gold medalist, was knocked out of the U.S. team trials. It was a tough loss to Jason Nolf in the semifinals at 74kg. Might be the last match of his career, who knows?
As Burroughs exited the arena, a fan began to taunt him. “Career is over,” he shouted. Burroughs, a Nebraska alum, didn’t take it lying down. He shot back, “What have you done?”
Cormier was not amused. He took to Twitter to vent about the fan’s disrespectful behavior. It was a low blow, especially after such a hard moment in Burroughs’ career.
Cormier tweeted, “What a piece of trash this guy is.” He was appalled that someone would tell a man who’s represented the U.S. honorably for 13 years to go home. He mentioned Burroughs’ seven World or Olympic titles.
He also brought up an incident involving Arman Tsarukyan. Remember when Tsarukyan punched a fan? Cormier thinks it’s because people act without thinking about the consequences.
Cormier was upset that this could be Burroughs’ last match, and this is the send-off he gets. He expressed his admiration for how manning defended his guy. He admitted to being baffled by people’s behavior sometimes.
He ended his tweet by reassuring Burroughs, “J.B., you’re still the man. Time gets us all. Also Jason Nolf is a dog!”
Burroughs, 35, will probably be remembered as one of America’s greatest wrestlers. His résumé is impressive. But he’s missed out on the last two Olympic teams. He lost to Kyle Dake in 2020 and now to Nolf in 2024.
Cormier also mentioned a UFC 300 incident in his tweet. Arman Tsarukyan, a lightweight contender, had a run-in with a fan during his walkout for his fight with Charles Oliveira.
Tsarukyan said the fan flipped him off and got too close. He reacted. He explained, “He showed me, ‘F*** you,’ and he wanted to punch me and I wanted to punch him back.”
Tsarukyan warned fans not to get too close. He said, “You can show me ‘F***’ from like 200 meters, I’m not going to punch you. But when you’re close to me, it’s, like automatically. I’m from Russia. Don’t do that, please, or I’m going to go to prison in U.S.”
Cormier seems to agree with Tsarukyan’s actions. Especially after what he saw at the U.S. Olympic team trials in wrestling on Friday.