Former UFC champion Cormier revealed that he had to fight on without the use of his left eye in his points defeat to Miocic on Saturday, absorbing an accidental eye poke that left his vision halved for the final two rounds of the contest.

Official Marc Goddard did not spot the poke and ruled it a punch in an incident that proved crucial as Miocic won the trilogy fight between the pair to retain his title.

Veteran Cormier was released from hospital on Saturday night and is now waiting to discover the lasting damage caused to his cornea, according to UFC reporter Ariel Helwani.

"[He] suffered a torn cornea last night, Cormier told me this morning," Helwani said of the 41-year-old.

"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."

Fans offered support to the retiring American after he reacted stoically to the injury and claimed that Goddard had reassessed the poke when he watched a replay after the fight.

"One of the worst eye pokes I’ve ever seen," said one, suggesting that Stipe "won off that and meaningless clinch work", while another added: "That’s heartbreaking. DC deserved better."

A fellow viewer speculated: "He’ll definitely need surgery. That eye poke looked absolutely abysmal."

Cormier beat Miocic to win the heavyweight crown in 2018 before suffering a knockout defeat in their first rematch at UFC 241 last August.