Eric Trump says 'rigged' UFC fight messages were AI fakes

Eric Trump says screenshots showing an alleged conversation with UFC commentator Daniel Cormier, which appeared to show Trump asking whether any fights at the White House event would be rigged, were fabricated.

In a now-deleted post on X, Cormier shared a screenshot of an exchange where an account, claiming to belong to Trump, asked if any of the fighters on the card were injured and if any of the fights would be "rigged".

In the post, Cormier wrote: "I'm probably going to get a lot of flak for bringing this to light, however I refuse to stay silent. Shame on anyone trying to ruin this beautiful event."

Trump, 42, who is the son of US President Donald Trump, said the screenshots were "AI-generated" and "fake".

"This is completely fake! I have never reached out to Daniel. In fact, this is scary," Trump wrote on X.

"We are aware of the fake, AI generated screenshots being circulated online. I have never spoken to Daniel. He has since deleted his post, which confirms it was clearly fabricated."

Cormier, 47, also appeared to deny the authenticity of the posts, writing "are people this dumb?", with Trump replying "thanks Daniel".

BBC Sport has asked the UFC for comment.

The posts came before the unprecedented UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House on Sunday, taking place on President Trump's 80th birthday as part of celebrations to mark 250 years of American independence.

Eric Trump, who is the executive vice-president of his father's administration, was in Washington DC to watch the event on the White House's South Lawn.

Cormier is a former UFC light-heavyweight and heavyweight champion and provided analysis on commentary throughout the event.