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The UFC’s docuseries on Roku, ‘Fight Inc: Inside the UFC’, has made for some stunning behind-the-scenes stories that took place behind the curtains in the promotion. While one footage shows how much of an influential figure Hunter Campbell is currently as the Chief Business Officer, another clip involving Dana White has left fans in a sour state. Apparently, Campbell and White tried to persuade the former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling to consider a quick turnaround despite his hesitation.

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UFC commentator and former dual-weight champion Daniel Cormier analyzed the footage on his YouTube channel. He had a lot of sympathy, for the ‘Funk Master’ was coerced into taking the UFC 292 fight, as he would claim that he went through something similar. Dana White and Hunter Campbell also once asked him to make a quick turnaround as well.

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Dana White failed to manipulate Daniel Cormier into taking a bad-timing fight

“I have been in situations where I’ve been called faster than I wanted to and asked if I wanted to fight and I said, ‘No, I don’t want to do it,” said ‘DC’ as he weighed in on ‘Funk Master’s situation. At the time when Dana White and Hunter Campbell persuaded Aljamain Sterling to take the Sean O’Malley fight, he had just defended his title successfully against Henry Cejudo. But when the duo approached Daniel Cormier for a quick turnaround, he had just come off a loss, and the UFC wanted to pit him against Fabricio Werdum.

Daniel Cormier further stated, “I remember Jon Jones beat me in 2017. Probably like [in] July, August, I got called, ‘Hey, you want to fight Fabricio Werdum?’ I had always said yes, always, and I said, ‘No!'” Failing to overcome Jon Jones was a tough pill to swallow and the fashion in which he lost fueled his disappointment. Hence, the only thing Cormier wanted to do after that fight was to go on a hiatus.

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“Ultimately, I just said [that] I’m not doing it. I’m taking a whole year off. It was the first time I’d ever been stopped, first time ever been knocked out. I’m not gonna fight, and ultimately, it was my call,” Daniel Cormier added.

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Meanwhile, Aljamain Sterling also broke his silence over the situation that took place in the video clip and decided to sound off on Dana White. The clip struck his nerve as he revealed how things played out after his last fight against Henry Cejudo.

Aljamain Sterling couldn’t “relive all those emotions” again

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If losing the title wasn’t a tough loss, getting to rewatch the uncomfortable conversation he had with Dana White and Hunter Campbell stung Aljamain Sterling like a thousand needles. In a YouTube video of his own, he would say, “I know. We’ve seen the video circulating all over social media… I wasn’t really excited to see that clip again because it made me relive all those emotions.” Thereafter, Sterling would claim that having an intense training camp for a 5-round battle against someone like Henry Cejudo was already a tough task, and he put all of his mind into that fight, meaning that he was not prepared for the Sean O’Malley fight announcement that took place later that night at UFC 288.

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” I had a really hard training camp to make that weight cut, a five-round hard fight, and then the night of the fight—this is just the series of events—they don’t make fights the night of the fight, but somehow, for whatever reason, my fight in particular just happened to be made that night,” said Aljamain Sterling. Now, the only thing we’re waiting for is to see what Dana White has to say about the instance.

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What do you make of Daniel Cormier’s confession about Dana White and Hunter Campbell’s tactics on him? Drop your comments below.

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Himanga Mahanta

4,196 Articles

Himanga Mahanta is a Senior UFC Writer at EssentiallySports and a key pillar of the combat sports team. With over three years in sports journalism, he leads the site’s MMA PPV Live Coverage Desk, closely working with real-time updates, in-depth analysis, and trend-driven insights that keep fans ahead of the curve. From breaking news and beat reports to exclusive stories and sharp opinion pieces, Himanga’s coverage spans the full spectrum of the MMA world. His insightful reporting has earned recognition within the combat sports community, including mentions from notable figures such as Chael Sonnen. A keen observer of fight dynamics and a devoted Conor McGregor fan, Himanga blends passion with journalistic precision, making his work a reliable go-to for UFC followers worldwide.

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Yeswanth Praveen

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