Daniel Cormier says he has right groin tear

Daniel Cormier told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of “The MMA Hour” that he tore his right adductor muscle and is debating whether or not to have surgery. The UFC light heavyweight champion and former Oklahoma State All-American wrestler said he could return to the Octagon by February or March depending on treatment of the injury.

Cormier said doctors have given him a choice to rest, receive platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections or have surgery. Resting would delay Cormier’s return for five months. PRP treatments would speed up his return as soon as eight weeks.

"It's a weird deal, because I always try not to have surgery,” Cormier said. “That's kind of my thing. I do whatever I can to not go under the knife. I've got some decisions to make."

Cormier said he changed his training to strictly boxing the last few weeks after he felt a lack of power in his right leg. However, last Tuesday, he said, he wasn’t able to run - an key phase to his weight-cutting process. He then saw doctors who told him about the groin tear. Soon after he picked up the phone to call UFC President Dana White to tell him he would be pulling out of a title defense - for the second time this year - against Anthony Johnson at UFC 206 on Dec. 10 in Toronto.

Cormier (18-1) received advice from UFC bantamweight champion and Fox Sports commentary co-worker Dominick Cruz about the injury. Cruz suffered a similar injury a few years and opted to rest instead of PRP treatments or surgery.

Johnson did not remain on the UFC 206 card and is waiting for Cormier to return to avenge his only UFC loss. Cormier wants to return in either February or March then return to face Ryan Bader before July.