‘Towelgate’ – Daniel Cormier
New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC)
At the weigh-ins ahead of UFC 210 major controversy struck with DC. Daniel Cormier first appeared on the scale and weighed in at 206.2lbs.
After retreating from the scales to the back for only a few minutes Daniel miraculously returned to the scales to weigh in right on the mark of 205lbs for a championship bout. But for the second weigh-in, DC had actually rested his hands on top of the towel being draped across him to keep him covered up, and that ultimately was what helped DC make the 205lbs championship weight limit. DC caught a lot of heat from fellow fighters on social media for the tactic, and despite getting the win the next night, his opponent Anthony Johnson and manager looked to file an official complaint in order to get proper compensation for the missed weigh-in.
The New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) was new to MMA as this happened in 2017, and the sport was only legalized within the state of New York in 2016, but it’s not like the commission hadn’t been overseeing another combat sport in boxing for a very long time.
Following this incident, the NYSAC announced that it would be making some rule changes to its weigh-ins:
“When on the scale, the combatant shall stand still with his or her feet flat upon the scale and shall not make physical contact with any person or object other than the scale. No other person shall touch the scale when a combatant is in the act of weighing in. While on the scale, the combatant shall follow any direction issued by the commission.”
This rule change would inadvertently set up the incident involving Kelvin Gastelum’s weigh-in at UFC 244.
