Eric Trump, the son of President Donald Trump, has denied sending a series of private messages seeking insider information on “rigged” MMA fights ahead of the UFC White House over the weekend.
Several posts on X alleged that former MMA fighter Daniel Cormier had posted screenshots of private messages from Eric asking for betting tips on the fights.
Any Fights Rigged?
In the messages, Eric follows up by asking Cormier if any of the fighters have any injuries, before a final message stating, “I’ll just cut to the chase. Are any of the fights tomorrow rigged? I’ve been eyeing the Lopes fight and I think an upset wouldn’t be too unrealistic. $$.”
In the screenshots, Cormier wrote back, “No, none of our fights are rigged, and honestly, I am appalled that you would even ask me something like that.”
A post seemingly from Cormier’s account then posted the screenshots publicly, saying he “will not tolerate this type of insider behavior.”
Eric Dimisses Messages as Fake News
Eric took to X to respond to the allegations. In a post on Sunday night, he wrote that the messages are fake and he has never contacted Cormier.
On his own account, Cormier then posted, “Are people really this dumb?“, but did not elaborate any further. Eric responded, “Thanks Daniel.”
Another post from Eric denying he sent the messages has been marked by X, noting that “Multiple journalists and eyewitnesses confirm Daniel Cormier posted the screenshots himself before deleting them.”
Internet Rumors Can Move Markets
If Eric’s posts are to be believed, it would be another case of social media rumors spreading misinformation.
Last month, there were suspicious line movements before the fight between Sean Brady and Joaquin Buckley at UFC 328. Rumors had circulated on social media and betting forums that Brady was getting his knee drained backstage.
Brady went from favorite to underdog in the run-up to the fight, but it went off as planned after the UFC confirmed there was no problem with the fighter. In the end, Brady won the fight.
Previous Incidents Have UFC on Alert
Two other recent incidents have raised awareness of match manipulation in the UFC. Last year, President Dana White suspended fighter Isaac Dulgarian following his loss to Yadier del Valle.
Dulgarian has been accused of deliberately losing the fight by first-round submission for betting purposes. White called the FBI immediately after the fight to launch an investigation. No charges have yet been filed against the fighter.
In January this year, White decided to cancel the bout between Michael Johnson and Alexander Hernandez over concerns about a similar incident.
“We got called from the gaming integrity service, and I said, ‘I’m not doing this s*** again,’ so we pulled the fight,” White said.
The UFC has not commented on the Eric Trump incident. Cormier has also not yet openly denied that Eric sent him the messages.
