The current season of The Ultimate Fighter 34, especially its eighth episode, just erupted into absolute chaos over a highly controversial fight finish. Things started as a standard but heated coaching dispute, but quickly turned ugly when UFC CEO Dana White took a personal shot at Daniel Cormier.
Dana White Calls Daniel Cormier Sick after heated TUF Drama
The chaos boiled over during the final bantamweight quarterfinal matchup of the season. Michael Bisping’s number one overall pick, Xavier Franklin, faced off against Micaias Urena. Cormier was invested in the match as Urena’s head coach, guiding his fighter through the high-stakes tournament bracket.
Right at the end of the first round, Franklin dropped Urena with a heavy combination and landed a hard knee strike before the referee stepped in to stop the bout.
Cormier immediately lost his cool on the sidelines. He was convinced that Franklin landed an illegal knee to his fighter’s head while he was down. In a viral clip posted to Instagram by the UFC, Cormier could be seen screaming at the referee, saying, “No, that is ridiculous, and you know it. Hit him in the — face with his knee.”
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White urged Cormier to look at the official replay before pushing his protest further. Even after watching the footage, Cormier refused to back down, arguing that the technicality of the contact didn’t matter.
That is when White completely lost his temper, telling the Hall of Famer, “You might be mentally ill. You are mentally ill. I just saw it on film. F—– yelling at everybody and s—-.”
Under the unified MMA rules, White was correct. Knee strikes to a downed opponent are only illegal if they hit the head. The replay clearly showed that Franklin’s knee hit Urena squarely in the chest and shoulder area, making it a 100% legal knockout.
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Cormier was just trying to protect his guy, but his refusal to accept what was right there on the screen turned a simple replay check into a wild shouting match.
Are Dana White and Daniel Cormier Actually at Odds?
While the argument looked incredibly personal on camera, it won’t damage their relationship. White and Cormier have shared a close personal and professional bond for over a decade. Cormier remains one of the UFC’s most trusted color commentators, and both men have a long history of screaming at each other before immediately laughing it off.
That bond comes from Cormier’s legendary fighting career. He is a former two-division champion, retiring in 2020 with an elite 22-3 (1 NC) record. White has always supported Cormier, even inducting him into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2022.
Because they have worked together at the highest level for so long, they can have a wild shouting match over a rulebook and completely forget about it once the cameras stop rolling.
