Henry Cejudo has provided an update on the eye problems he acquired following his contentious defeat to Song Yadong at UFC Seattle. The previous double champion sustained an unintentional eye poke in the third round, leading the bout to be stopped and Yadong to win on a technical decision. The outcome sparked debate, with some fans questioning if ‘Triple C’ was actually unable to continue. As a result, the 38-year-old has now taken to social media to highlight the seriousness of his injury and provide an update on his eye.
Hours after the bout, Cejudo uploaded a video addressing the issue, emphasizing that he was still experiencing vision problems. He said, “Today is February 23rd. I guess hours after my fight and we just wanted to make sure that we’re showing you guys some of the damage that my eye has gone through. I’m still seeing double. I’m still seeing blurriness. So it hopefully goes away, but…f- I don’t know what to say.” In a separate Instagram story, the fighter revealed that the eye poke resulted in diplopia, soft tissue injuries, and a corneal abrasion.
The controversy surrounding the stoppage arises from the circumstances preceding the doctor’s involvement. Cejudo waited the whole five minutes to recover from the eye poke, but his vision remained significantly impaired. As soon as the round concluded, he told his corner, “I cannot f—— see,” leading the ringside physician to intervene and call the match off.
After three full rounds, the fight went to the scorecards, with Yadong winning by scores of 30-27, 29-28, and 29-28. The referee did not deduct a point for Yadong’s foul, which may have resulted in a majority draw rather than a loss for Henry Cejudo. So, it is no surprise that his fans are disappointed at how ‘Triple C’ lost the fight. In fact, the event also led the former champion to ask for a major rule change.
Henry Cejudo asks for a rule change in the Dana White-led promotion
Henry Cejudo has now called for a rule change in the UFC following the eye poke of doom that ended his bout with Song Yadong at UFC Seattle. The former double champion feels that officials should be able to use replays for illegal blows other than fight-ending sequences. While ‘Triple C’ accepted that the Chinese fighter did not poke him on purpose, he claimed that a point should have been deducted. “Did Song do it intentionally? No. Should there be a point deducted? 100 percent, man,” he remarked, emphasizing that fighters are already told to keep their fingers extended before entering the cage.
Cejudo reflected on the incident, explaining how the eye poke drastically changed the bout for him. “Once Song came [at me] after getting that five-minute break, I saw four arms, dude. It’s unfortunate.” He also questioned referee Jason Herzog’s handling of the matter, pointing out that he had already received a low blow earlier in the bout. “I got kicked in the b—s a couple of times and then eye poked. Bro, something has to be done,” he continued, emphasizing that fighters deserve stronger protection when unintentional fouls occur.
The 38-year-old also added that he is not criticizing Yadong, but that the UFC and its management must take steps to avoid similar situations in the future. “Even if it wasn’t intentional, you still can’t do this,” he stated, supporting his belief that regulations should be changed to ensure fairness in bouts. With this loss extending his current losing streak, it’s unclear whether the UFC will make any adjustments in response to his concerns. What do you think? Do you agree with Henry Cejudo? Let us know in the comments.
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