Daniel Cormier to Conor McGregor: ‘Worry about the dudes that keep beating your ass’ instead of pics

Former two-division champion Daniel Cormier responded on Wednesday to a now-deleted tweet from Conor McGregor calling him a “fat drunk f*ck” in response to his critique of the Irish star.

McGregor attached a photo of him kicking Dustin Poirier in their UFC 264 trilogy, adding “clean check right there by Poirier” in an apparent attempt to mock Cormier’s commentary skills. That prompted Cormier to pull up and analyze photographic evidence of the several kicks Poirier did check.

“It’s much easier for me, because I work at ESPN,” Cormier said on his video podcast, DC and RC. “We have a department that does that, that can get every one of the kicks that Conor did get checked.

“So McGregor, listen to me bud. Stop worrying about me. Don’t worry about Daniel Cormier. Don’t worry about the things that I’m saying. Don’t worry about how I’m dressing and how I’m looking. Don’t do that. Worry about the dudes that keep beating your ass every time you go into the octagon.”

McGregor took aim at Cormier after a previous podcast where he addressed a tasteless insult the Irish star directed at his teammate, now-retired UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov, and called it a “cry for help.” That prompted a shot at Cormier’s appearance on Twitter.

“I’m not the guy you’ve got to worry about fighting,” Cormier continued. “I’m done. I’m retired. I’m living my best life. You need to worry about trying to beat the guys that you fight against. Get off the internet. I don’t hate this dude, but McGregor, fall back.”

McGregor continues to heal from a broken leg that brought a swift end to his third fight with Poirier. Afterward, he continued to hurl epithets at Poirier and wife Jolie Poirier before being stretchered out of the T-Mobile Arena. Doctors expect the former two-division champ to be sidelined for at least nine months as he rehabilitates his leg. UFC President Dana White said the UFC is putting off plans for the star until he’s able to return.

That hasn’t kept McGregor from trying to settle scores on the internet, and several of his messages have been met with criticism, none more than his attack on Nurmagomedov’s father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, who died from complications from COVID-19.

Cormier said his rebuttal of McGregor was meant to spur positive action that might bring the injured ex-champ perspective.

“The reality is, McGregor is a high-level fighter, but when I said it was a cry for help, I did it with no ill intent,” he said. “This was just me saying, find some people that are willing to step up and say, ‘Hey man, let’s get everything right.’ But the reality is, I don’t need to be friends with Conor McGregor. So I really don’t care what he says about me personally. I’m going to continue to do my job. And where he deserves praise, he’ll get praise. Where he deserves to be critiqued, he will get critiqued.

“But all those kicks were landed in about in a minute. For the last four minutes of that round, it was Dustin Poirier beating up Conor McGregor. Let’s not forget what happened in the fight. So let’s not get too distracted with all the other stuff.”