Daniel Cormier has been diagnosed with a torn cornea after suffering a troubling injury to his left eye during a decision loss to Stipe Miocic at UFC 252 on Saturday night that he later revealed had left him unable to see out of it.
“Daniel Cormier suffered a torn cornea last night, Cormier told me this morning,” ESPN’s Ariel Helwani wrote on Twitter. “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.”
Meanwhile, referee Marc Goddard has apologized after he failed to see the accidental eyepoke that caused the injury during the bout and at the time had dismissed DC’s call for a timeout, instead urging him to fight on.
“I practice what I preach & as a man I stand tall & head on,” Goddard wrote. “If you accept plaudits then you must with mistakes too, that’s proof that you are listening, honest & implore improvement. Rough with the smooth, acceptance & ownership. Immediately after the fight when seeing the replay I apologised to Daniel Cormier & his team & I do so publicly & unreservedly for missing what I shouldn’t have – but I cannot call what I do not see. I don’t have replays & multiple angles, it’s a one shot take in real time.
“I cannot convey just how much I have both lived & loved this sport for the past 20 years. I truly appreciate all who understand.”
Cormier’s opponent, Miocic (who it’s worth noting also suffered what thankfully proved to be a less serious eyepoke during the fight) also said he apologized multiple times for the injury, stating that he didn’t think he’d done anything wrong until he say the instant replay on the big screen.
