Daniel Cormier asked why his belt was being given to Jon Jones, such was the disorientation experienced following his devastating knockout loss at UFC 214
McCarthy recently conducted an interview with RT Sport where he opened up on the harsh realities of concussion following Cormier’s head kick KO loss in Anaheim last month:
“He [Cormier] looked at me and he never even realized the fight started. He is sitting on the stool, he’s been knocked out and he is saying, ‘John what are they doing with my belt, we haven’t even fought yet. Why are they giving it to him?’ This is what occurs, this is the reality of fighting. And in the situation with Daniel Cormier, Dan doesn’t remember any of that. His brain doesn’t observe that information and put it in the memory because he got concussed. And this is part of our sport, and people need to understand what’s going on with it.”
McCarthy says that, while Cormier may have been angry with him at the time, he has nothing to apologize for:
“DC got mad at me because he thought I stopped it early, but I didn’t. I even let it go a little bit longer because of knowing that fight and knowing the ramifications of doing things. There was a lot of pressure on everyone involved and there was a lot of responsibility. And UFC is handing that responsibility to you like, ‘Don’t screw us over.’ And in the championship fight, we have to make things decisive so there is no controversy, there is no doubt. […] Daniel Cormier has got nothing to apologize to me for. Daniel Cormier is a freaking champion, he is a freaking incredible representative of the sport of MMA. He has never done anything wrong in this sport ever, as far as the way he represents it. He has nothing to apologize to John McCarthy for. He’s done everything just the way he needs to do.”
Following reports that Jon Jones tested positive for a banned substance in conjunction with his fight with Cormier, there have been suggestions that “DC” could potentially file a lawsuit against the champion for injuries incurred at UFC 214.
