Daniel Cormier has a torn cornea after Stipe Miocic poked him in the eye during UFC 252 fight
Daniel Cormier was poked in his left eye by Stipe Miocic during their very physical headlining fight at UFC 252 on Saturday night, which has resulted in a torn cornea.
Daniel Cormier suffered a torn cornea last night, Cormier told me this morning. No timetable yet for recovery. Doctors said he won’t need surgery just yet but they have to monitor how it heals before knowing for sure. He was discharged from the hospital late Saturday night.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) August 16, 2020
The poke, which happened in Round 3, was pretty gnarly and left Cormier unable to see out of his left eye for the rest of the fight. Cormier went to the hospital following the fight and said that he felt that his poked eye played a role in his eventual unanimous decision loss to Miocic.
The eye poke that Daniel Cormier says caused him to lose vision in his left eye at #UFC252 pic.twitter.com/b6R5DalYoS
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 16, 2020
Referee apologizes for missing eye poke
Fighters are typically given extra time if they’re poked in the eye during a bout, but that wasn’t granted to Cormier. Referee Marc Goddard didn’t see Miocic poke Cormier in the eye, and when Cormier complained, Goddard ruled it as a punch.
Goddard apologized for missing the poke on Sunday morning in a statement he posted on Twitter.
“I practice what I preach and as a man I stand tall and head on. If you accept plaudits then you must with mistakes too, that’s proof that you are listening, honest and implore improvement. Rough with the smooth, acceptance and ownership. Immediately after the fight when seeing the replay I apologized to Daniel and his team and I do so publicly and unreservedly for missing what I shouldn’t have — but I cannot call what I do not see. I don’t have replays and multiple angles, it’s a one shot take in real time. I cannot convey just how much I have both lived and loved this sport for the past 20 years. I truly appreciate all who understand.”
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