Marc Goddard recently came out with a statement regarding the missed eye poke during the fight between Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier.
During the third round of the fight, Miocic visibly poked Cormier in the eye. Goddard ruled it a punch at the time and asked Cormier to keep fighting. During the break, Cormier talked with his corner about the poke and his inability to see with his left eye. Cormier was transported to a local hospital after the fight.
“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.”
Acceptance. pic.twitter.com/JMNjKPzURz
— Marc Goddard (@marcgoddard_uk) August 16, 2020
Cormier expressed himself on the matter, he believes that the eye poke influenced the result of the fight.
This is not the first time that Marc Goddard has been involved in this type of controversy. He was involved in an incident during an event of UAE Warriors in Abu Dhabi. UAE featherweight fighter Ahmad Al Darmaki shoved Goddard after the referee peeled him off of his opponent for refusing to let go of a submission. Al Darmaki was disqualified as a result of this incident. He also received harsh criticism from UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington back at UFC 245. Covington thought that Goddard’s stoppage in his title fight against Kamaru Usman was too early.
