Daniel Cormier provides an important update on eye injury suffered against Stipe Miocic at UFC 252

While Daniel Cormier was responsible for almost all the eye pokes in his trilogy against Stipe Miocic, there's little doubt that the last eye poke by Stipe Miocic was the most damaging of the final fight. Daniel Cormier was unable to see through the affected eye as a result of the same.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani on the DC & Helwani Show (H/T MMA Junkie), Daniel Cormier said that he would prefer not to have surgery for his eye injury that he suffered at UFC 252:

“It was concerning initially, because they did not know how severe the impact was going to be going forward. They didn’t know if I wasn’t going to need surgery and do all these other things,” Cormier said. “But luckily I was able to recover, and I feel better, and I prefer not to have surgery. I don’t want to go under the knife for everything. If it’s something that I can avoid, if it’s an option to not do it in that way, I’ll always use that option.”

Daniel Cormier admitted that it was very bad at first, but gave a positive update on his recovery:

“It was very bad initially,” Cormier said. “The first week-and-a-half or so, it was really bad. It wasn’t open. It was completely blurry. But now it feels like I have an eyelash in it. I went and saw the doctor last week, and he told me that I’m probably not going to need surgery. It was bad for like a week, and then it started to get better. I got medicine, antibiotics and stuff that kind of goes into my eye three times a day.”

Daniel Cormier said that it isn't bothering him as much and said that you can't get used to anything when you compete at the highest level of combat sports.

The end of the road for Daniel Cormier

While retirement in MMA is hardly ever certain for most fighters, Daniel Cormier seems content with the legacy he's left behind. While he may not go down as the greatest of all time, he's certainly among the all-time greats.

Daniel Cormier seemed accepting of his final defeat against Stipe Miocic and knows that it's not realistic for him to fight for titles after losing two times in a row for the first time in his career. Daniel Cormier only wants to fight for titles and he seems to understand that he's past a certain stage in his career.