Marc Goddard issues an apology to Daniel Cormier and team following eye poke injury at UFC 252

Being a referee in the UFC isn't easy and Marc Goddard is well aware of that, particularly after the third Stipe Miocic-Daniel Cormier fight. Given that the UFC only works with a select crop of elite referees, the officials are held to the highest of standards by fans, athletic commissions, and the UFC alike.

Marc Goddard is a name that we've seen referee fights inside the Octagon for a long time and he's no stranger to criticism. At UFC 252, Stipe Miocic once again received an eye poke, but it didn't seem to cause the same kind of damage.

Daniel Cormier, however, received an eye poke with pretty bad consequences. He had a torn cornea that prevented him from seeing out of the left eye for the rest of the fight and in the post-fight interview, Daniel Cormier was visibly livid and frustrated.

Referee Marc Goddard issued an apology to Daniel Cormier and his team after not taking action:

Acceptance. pic.twitter.com/JMNjKPzURz

— Marc Goddard (@marcgoddard_uk) August 16, 2020

Daniel Cormier was the latest of many to be affected by referee indecision

Herb Dean was most recently under fire after two late stoppages - with commentator Dan Hardy even confronting him after the fight. Herb Dean and Marc Goddard have been under fire on many occasions, but they're still viewed as the gold standard of refereeing in the sport of MMA.

It's not like Mario Yamasaki where his track record went too far and the UFC had to put their foot down to prevent him from ever refereeing another fight in the Octagon.

It's a two-sided coin, since making mistakes as a referee is natural. However, when a human being's life is at risk, there's a reason why the expectations are so high of them.

Daniel Cormier called it quits after the fight and we're yet to see whether he's going to keep his word on his retirement or not.