UFC commentator Daniel Cormier defended Usman Nurmagomedov for his actions following the main event at UFC Shanghai.
In the UFC Shanghai headliner, Song Yadong scored a monumental upset when he brutally knocked out Umar Nurmagomedov in the second round as a +450 underdog.
Immediately following the knockout, Usman Nurmagomedov scaled the Octagon fence and jumped into the cage to tend to his wounded brother, but he nearly came to blows with Song after the Chinese native was running around the Octagon celebrating his win.
Usman Nurmagomedov later put out a statement suggesting that if he wanted to hurt Song with an elbow, he could have.
Either way, he should not have been in the Octagon at the time he was, since cornermen are supposed to wait for commission staff to let them into the cage.
However, Cormier defended his actions, suggesting brotherly love made him do it.
Daniel Cormier Defends Usman Nurmagomedov
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Cormier — who trained for many years with the Nurmagomedov family at American Kickboxing Academy — defended the actions of Usman Nurmagomedov following the UFC Shanghai main event.
“He did not elbow him. Let’s stop making conspiracy theories out there people, he did not elbow him and he did not attack Song Yadong. What he did was try to get to his brother. Now, that in itself is not allowed. We are not allowed to do that. But, if there’s anyone that you care about immensely and you want to try to rush to their side in that moment, it is your brother,” Cormier said (via Bloody Elbow).
Daniel Cormier Says Umar Nurmagomedov Deserves More Credit
Following Umar Nurmagomedov’s loss to Song as a -600 favorite, he has been heavily criticized by segments of the fanbase for losing a fight that, on paper at least, he should have won.
But Cormier said that the Russian deserves credit for being a great fighter, one who is 8-2 overall in the UFC, despite the fact that he lost.
“For as much credit as Song Yadong gets for the result, I believe that we should give credit to Umar,” Cormier said.
Daniel Cormier Defends Usman Nurmagomedov at UFC Shanghai