Daniel Cormier nearly withdrew from UFC 230 just hours before his scheduled main event title fight with Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis.

After defeating Derrick Lewis via second-round submission in last night’s UFC 230 main event, Daniel Cormier revealed that he had injured his back that same morning and was almost forced to pullout of the contest.

“I hurt it this morning bad,” Daniel Cormier told reporters post-fight at UFC 230 (transcribed by MMAJunkie). “Sometimes I go into the octagon, and I hear in the build-up, ‘When is this guy going to get old?’ It could happen overnight. I thought it happened this morning when I sneezed, and I slipped my back out. Like seriously. We got some pictures that we may release later in the week. I sneezed, and because I sneezed my back slipped out. I tried to do my morning run, and it wasn’t happening.”

Shortly after injuring his back, the UFC sent over some medical professionals to provide treatment to the promotions current “champ champ”.

Despite their best efforts, Daniel Cormier was still struggling and pain just hours before heading to Madison Square Garden.

“At around 12, 1 o’clock it was to the point where I was kind of singed over and leaning and Bob Cook said, ‘If you don’t get better then we’re going to have to make a decision on whether or not you’re going to fight,’” Daniel Cormier stated. “It was real close.”

Daniel Cormier (39 years of age) went on to say that the last-minute injury served as a reminder that he is getting old.

“It was very scary because I had no idea how we were going to explain that one,” Cormier said. “I was like, ‘I don’t know how we’re going to explain this when I sneezed and hurt my back.’ That’s getting old. That’s what that is.”

Daniel Cormier is hoping to return to the octagon at UFC 235 in March of 2019 for a fight with former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.