Marc Goddard is taking accountability for a mistake he made in the Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier fight at UFC 252.
UFC heavyweight champion Miocic defeated former two-division UFC champion Cormier by unanimous decision on Saturday, August 15. DC was the victim of an accidental eye poke from Miocic in the third round of their fight, but referee Marc Goddard missed the eye poke. It is worth noting Cormier also caught Miocic with an eye poke in the first round; although, it was arguably less severe.
Goddard would take to Twitter a short time after the bout to apologize to Cormier for missing the eye poke:
Acceptance. pic.twitter.com/JMNjKPzURz
— Marc Goddard (@marcgoddard_uk) August 16, 2020
“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.”
Cormier was transported to the hospital after the fight and doctors deemed he had a torn cornea, but no surgery is needed at this time.
UFC 252 took place from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, August 15. Miocic defeated Cormier by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) to cap off their trilogy.
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