When the UFC 316 weigh-ins kicked off, fans expected the usual: fighters stepping on the scale, nods of approval, and maybe sighs of relief. What they got instead was a comedy of errors that quickly spiraled into a viral moment. Ariane Da Silva, set to face Wang Cong on the prelims, stepped on the scale not just a bit over, but six whole pounds above the flyweight limit.
As UFC analysts gathered to break it all down, one reaction stood out above the rest. Daniel Cormier, former ‘champ-champ’, now turned cage-side commentator, was front and center. The moment Da Silva’s weight was read out, Cormier froze, then stammered, “Whoa. Wow. Six pounds overweight?” His realization was slow but priceless. And soon enough, the ghost of ‘Towelgate’ came knocking at the door.
A clip shared by Spinnin Backfist on X captured the whole moment perfectly. The caption read: “DC slowly realizing how much Ariane Lipski weighed in over the flyweight limit was very funny.” While the caption mistakenly referred to Da Silva’s former surname, fans knew exactly who it was about, and Cormier’s reaction did the rest.
Trying to keep things light, Cormier joked, “Hey, I just say she’s trying to find consistency, nope, there ain’t no consistency happening after missing weight by six pounds. How do you go up there at six pounds? At six pounds over, you don’t go… I’m like, yo man I ain’t going out there”
Laura Sanko, ever the instigator, drew up air quotes as she stated, “You faint in the back”, clearly setting Daniel Cormier up. And former UFC lightweight legend and fan favorite, Frankie Edgar knocked it out of the park immediately! He fired off with, “Imagine trying to hold yourself six pounds on a towel.”
It was all in good fun, but the callback was too good to ignore. In 2017, Cormier stood behind a towel in Buffalo, desperately trying to make the 205-pound limit for his fight against Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson at UFC 210.
DC slowly realizing how much Ariane Lipski weighed in over the flyweight limit was very funnypic.twitter.com/opiaAItP34
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) June 6, 2025
After initially missing weight, he returned minutes later, naked and clutching the towel. Somehow, the scale read exactly 205 pounds. That moment sparked years of speculation and gave birth to ‘Towelgate’, until Cormier finally confessed during his UFC Hall of Fame speech in 2022.
Taking the stage, the Hall of Fame inductee began by stating, “Guys, I want to tell you something because I feel like right now is the time to be completely transparent. I think I may have grabbed the towel in Buffalo.”
He explained how a coach had reminded him of an old wrestling trick, which involved subtly pressing down on the towel to shed just enough weight from the scale’s reading. And that’s exactly what he did as he continued, “So I look down and the commissioner’s on the floor looking at the scale. There’s a second lady and I look down — she’s right next to him, so I grab the towel and I’m like, ‘S— we’re home free.’”
Looking back, even Cormier acknowledges how absurd it all was. But as UFC 316 reminded us, some ghosts never stay buried. With that being said, what exactly happened to Ariane Da Silva to miss weight by such a shocking amount? According to her coach and husband, it wasn’t from a lack of trying to cut weight!
Daniel Cormier’s reaction overshadows Ariane Da Silva’s weigh-in struggles at UFC 316
Ariane Da Silva didn’t just miss weight, she was in a silent battle no one could see. When the Brazilian flyweight stepped on the scale six pounds over, fans saw a number. But behind that number was a storm brewing inside her body. In a conversation with MMA Fighting, Renato Da Silva revealed that a newly discovered benign tumor on her pituitary gland had thrown her whole system off track. He shared that a routine blood test during camp had revealed high prolactin and abnormal cortisol levels.
Their solution? Silva explained, “By controlling the cortisol levels, we wanted to cause as little stress as possible to her body. And the nutritionist opted for a strategy that would have her hold as much as weight as possible until the end, and it was too much for the final days. He doesn’t know her as much as I do, and he thought she would be able to do that.”
And that’s where things got tricky as he continued, “She still had liquids in her body. But her physical state was showing signs of danger, her body was showing signs that it was time to stop.”
That’s when he decided to call the medical professionals provided by the UFC to step in, and with one look at Ariane Da Silva’s condition, they pulled the plug on the entire ordeal. The fight will go on at catchweight, and the Brazilian fighter was fined 30% of her purse. Yet her team made one thing clear: they take full responsibility.
In the end, what began as a viral laugh at UFC 316 turned into a reminder of just how fragile the fight game can be. Daniel Cormier’s hilarious reaction dragged ‘Towelgate’ back into the spotlight, but Ariane da Silva’s weight miss brought a very real and personal challenge to light. That all it takes is a few wrong steps, and the world could come crashing down before the fight even begins.
The post Daniel Cormier Confronted With ‘Towelgate’ as Hilarious Moment From UFC 316 Weigh-Ins Goes Viral appeared first on EssentiallySports.
