Reyes Starts a Video Series and Gives Cormier an F-Plus

Dominick Reyes has opened a YouTube series called The Commentary Scorecard, and the first episode grades the UFC 333 broadcast team. Daniel Cormier got the lowest mark.

The series grew out of a row on social media. After Saturday's event in Abu Dhabi, Reyes accused Cormier of bias in how he called the knockout win over Azamat Murzakanov. He also called Cormier "a low IQ hater." Cormier tried to defuse the situation.

Four complaints

Reyes started with Cormier's analysis of Murzakanov. "'DC' says, 'Well yeah, from southpaw right away,'" Reyes said. He argued that Murzakanov is a natural southpaw who never fights orthodox, so talk of a switch was "completely wrong." In his view, that showed Cormier "did no research."

The second complaint was about Jon Anik. Anik mentioned Reyes for the first time only to say that he had blood clots in 2022. Reyes called it "a dead horse comment" that had nothing to do with the fight. By that point, he said, he had already thrown several leg kicks and was moving well on the outside.

Third, Reyes quoted Cormier saying that everyone had written him off after a losing streak and that he was now back fighting the best ranked fighters. Reyes said that was incorrect. Since the streak, he has fought only ranked opponents.

The last point was about referee Mike Beltran. Reyes had wobbled Murzakanov with a head kick and dropped him with a left hand, then hesitated before following up. Cormier joked that Beltran "just wanted to see murder."

Reyes disagreed. He said such a remark creates the kind of situation Herb Dean faces, with boos and harassment on the street. It was a ranked fight between the No. 7 and No. 8 fighters, Reyes said, and he commended Beltran for not stopping it early.

The grades

"I'm going to give Jon Anik a B, B-plus," Reyes said. "I'm going to give DC an F-plus, and Paul Felder, I'll give him an A." He said Felder focused on color commentary, was unbiased and "kept it real."

"I think it's time to hold these guys accountable," Reyes continued. He said fighters give their best every time out and that he expects the same from everybody in the organization: research, being well-informed and being unbiased. "It doesn't matter if you trained a guy or worked with a guy, whatever."

The knockout was Reyes' second straight win and his fifth in six fights. It followed four straight losses, two of them in championship bouts.

Source: MMA Fighting