Reyes launches YouTube series to dissect Cormier's 'F-plus' UFC 333 commentary blow by blow

Dominick Reyes is not letting his grievance with Daniel Cormier fade quietly. Days after knocking out Azamat Murzakanov at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi, Reyes has launched a YouTube series called The Commentary Scorecard to methodically dismantle what he called Cormier’s “F-plus” broadcast performance.

The feud began on social media in the immediate aftermath of Saturday’s event, with Reyes accusing Cormier of bias during the call and labelling him “a low IQ hater.” Cormier attempted to defuse the exchange publicly, but the back-and-forth appears to have given Reyes a new platform idea rather than a reason to stand down.

In the debut episode, Reyes opened with a factual challenge to one of Cormier’s early observations. “DC says, ‘Well yeah, from southpaw right away. Murzakanov, you see Murzakanov switch to southpaw right away,’” Reyes recounted. “The problem with this comment is Murzakanov is a southpaw naturally. He’s a natural southpaw. He fights southpaw every time. He never fights orthodox ever. So for him to say he’s switching to southpaw is completely wrong. It just goes to show that he did no research or he’s just talking.”

Reyes also took issue with play-by-play commentator Jon Anik for referencing the blood clots Reyes suffered in 2022. “He doesn’t comment on the action or the strategy, he just says that I had blood clots in 2022,” Reyes said. “This is kind of a dead horse comment. This has already been talked about, everybody already knows about my blood clots and you’re commenting on something that really has nothing to do with the fight.”

A third grievance centred on Cormier’s characterisation of Reyes’ recent opponents. Cormier suggested Reyes was “now back fighting the best ranked fighters in the world” after a difficult stretch — a framing Reyes flatly rejected. “I have only fought ranked fighters in my career since going on that losing streak,” he said, calling it another research failure from the analyst.

Reyes’ final point of criticism concerned referee Mike Beltran’s stoppage. After Reyes dropped Murzakanov with a left hand following a head kick, he briefly hesitated before closing the finish, and Reyes felt Cormier’s commentary framed Beltran’s intervention negatively as a result.

The knockout was Reyes’ second consecutive victory and his fifth in his last six fights — a significant turnaround after a four-fight losing skid that included two failed world title challenges. Whether The Commentary Scorecard becomes a recurring fixture may depend on how much material future broadcasts provide.