Cormier admits he forgot leaving ring after Jones KO while criticising Steveson for same act

Daniel Cormier has acknowledged he did not wait for the official decision after his knockout loss to Jon Jones at UFC 214, admitting he has no memory of the moment — days after publicly criticising Gable Steveson for the same behaviour at UFC 331.

Steveson was knocked out by Sean Sharaf in just 12 seconds at UFC 331, his second appearance in the promotion. The Olympic gold medallist drew widespread criticism from the MMA community not only for his dismissive pre-fight demeanour but for leaving the cage before the official decision was announced — a breach of the sport’s customary etiquette. Cormier, alongside Joe Rogan, called Steveson an “ungrateful loser” and said the wrestler should sit and “take his lumps” as he himself had done.

MMA social media accounts were quick to surface footage from UFC 214, where a visibly stricken Cormier refused to stand for the decision after being finished by Jones. That result was later overturned to a no-contest after Jones failed a drug test, but the footage clearly showed Cormier behaving in the manner he had condemned.

Responding to the backlash on Tuesday, Cormier said the clip was genuinely news to him. “Wait I did that?” he wrote. “Honestly this is what I mean when I say I remember nothing from after the kick landed until I got into the ambulance and 9 years later I still can’t find the memory. Every time I see something from that night post knockout it’s the first time I’ve seen it. That’s crazy.”

The admission drew a measure of sympathy from those who noted the neurological effects of a severe knockout, while others maintained the original criticism of Steveson still stood regardless of Cormier’s own history.

Jon Jones, who serves as Steveson’s coach and mentor, also weighed in on the controversy surrounding the exit from the cage, saying he personally made the call to get Steveson backstage to be checked on after the stoppage. Steveson himself has not publicly addressed the loss or the criticism surrounding his conduct.