Henry Cejudo lost to Song Yadong in a controversial UFC Seattle fight due to an eye poke that caused significant vision damage, resulting in a technical decision against him and costing him $150,000, while he remains hopeful for a future fight with Petr Yan if a rematch with Song is not possible.
Henry Cejudo lost a fight and a win bonus in the UFC Seattle, and it could’ve been even worse. This past Saturday’s main event was shrouded in controversy. Why? Cejudo couldn’t continue after a Song Yadong eye poke.
The situation got tangled. Cejudo was poked late in Round 3 but kept fighting till the end of the frame. Heading into Round 4, he said he couldn’t see. Referee Jason Herzog halted the contest. The judges awarded Song a technical decision.
Cejudo claims he suffered “diplopia, soft tissue damage, corneal abrasion” from the foul. Scary stuff, right? Song’s finger nearly ruined his vision altogether.
“Things are still blurry in my left eye,” Cejudo shared on the Pound 4 Pound podcast. He added, “I’m still seeing double.” Even watching the fight on screen, his eye isn’t good.
He visited an ophthalmologist who had grim news. “If that pinky would have hit you in the pupil, you would be blind,” she told him. Yikes! A dent in his eye—ruptured and damaged.
With this loss, Cejudo’s now 0-3 since coming out of retirement in 2023. Ouch. He hasn’t won since 2020. His previous losses were to Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288 and Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 298. Losing to Song stings even more.
Adding insult to injury, Cejudo feels robbed of a chance to earn his pay. “That just cost me $150,000 right there,” he lamented. “I’ve got kids.” It’s not just about winning; it’s about the prize money.
“I apologize to everybody I’ve ever doubted,” he admitted. Sometimes life serves humble pie when you least expect it. He believes if a point deduction happened, it might’ve been a draw.
Critics questioned his handling of the situation. Cejudo knew the rules but hoped his vision would clear up between rounds. “I wanted to fight,” he explained.
He took five minutes to recover but smiled through it all—his way of coping perhaps? Yet, he was seeing double and asked the ref how much time was left on the clock.
Some thought he was playing around, but he clarified he was waiting for his eyesight to return. Unfortunately, it never did.
Both fighters are open to running back the fight, but UFC CEO Dana White has nixed the idea for now. If not Song, Cejudo has another big name in mind.
“If we can’t get Song, I’d love to fight Petr Yan,” Cejudo stated. Yan’s looking for a May fight; if UFC agrees, Cejudo’s game. If no rematch with Song happens, there’s always Yan on the horizon!