When Henry Cejudo retired in 2020 with a record of 16-2, the former two-division UFC champion seemed ready to walk away for good. But in 2023, he made an unexpected return to the Octagon—a comeback that, unfortunately, hasn’t lived up to the legacy he once left behind. His final triumph before retiring, a successful bantamweight title defense against Dominick Cruz, now feels like a distant memory.
Since re-entering the UFC, the former NCAA standout has faced three top-tier opponents—and has come up short each time. His latest outing was against rising bantamweight contender Song Yadong at UFC Seattle, a bout that stirred controversy and frustration. Midway through the fight, ‘The Kung Fu kid’ appeared to land an eye poke that significantly affected Henry Cejudo’s ability to continue. Between rounds, Henry told his corner, “I cannot f–king see.”
Despite this, the bout went the distance, and all three judges awarded the decision to Song Yadong. ‘The Messenger’ didn’t hesitate to call for a rematch immediately after the fight—and the Chinese standout agreed. But UFC President Dana White made it clear he wasn’t interested. When asked about the possibility of a second bout between the two, White responded bluntly: “Not at all, not even a little bit. I just don’t want to see it again.”
With just one fight left on his current UFC contract, Henry Cejudo recently appeared on Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s podcast to discuss the fallout from UFC Seattle and share how Dana White’s reaction impacted him. Opening up candidly, Henry said,
“I think Dana White think I b–ched out,” ‘Triple C’ admitted. “You know what I’m saying, like, straight up, f–king… I ended up sending Dana a message, but I don’t think he has that same phone. I’m glad—I hope he doesn’t have that, because I was like, ‘Hey dude, I’ve done a lot, man. I f–king put my life out there, dude, and for you to kind of judge my integrity like that—that’s f–ked up, dude.’ Whether Dana ever saw that message remains a mystery. As Henry Cejudo put it himself: “I don’t think he has that same number.”’
LAS VEGAS, NV – March 3: Henry Cejudo receives his 50x USADA jacket and his 75X pin following the official weigh-ins at UFC Apex for UFC 285 -Jones vs Gane : Official Weigh-ins on March 3, 2023 in Las Vegas, NV , United States. Photo by Louis Grasse/PxImages Louis Grasse / SPP PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxBRAxMEX Copyright: xLouisxGrassex/xSPPx SPP_156393
Currently, the former double champ is recovering from a serious eye injury he suffered in the fight. This wasn’t just a minor poke—it resulted in over $150,000 in medical costs and came with some frightening complications. Doctors diagnosed Henry Cejudo with diplopia (double vision), soft tissue damage, and a corneal abrasion, leaving his vision “blurry” and distorted—he was seeing double out of one eye.
Thankfully, according to his ophthalmologist, the injury is expected to heal. But ‘The Messenger’ shared a terrifying detail: if Song Yadong’s pinky finger had gone just a bit deeper and hit his pupil, it “would’ve left me blind.” So where does Cejudo stand now? Let’s break down the latest update on his recovery and what might come next.
Is Henry Cejudo still seeing everything “double”?
Last month, Henry Cejudo opened up to MMA Junkie, offering a raw and honest update on his health following his February return to the Octagon—a night that didn’t unfold the way he had hoped. Since coming out of retirement, the former NCAA standout, Olympic gold medalist, and longtime UFC champion has dropped three straight fights. But beyond the sting of defeat, it was a serious eye injury that truly rattled him.
For someone who’s spent over a decade battling the best in the cage, it wasn’t the punches or the losses that made him pause—it was the chilling realization of how close he came to permanent damage. Henry Cejudo’s injury forced him to confront the true risks of a sport he’s dominated for years. An eye isn’t just another part of the body—it’s vital to living a normal life. And as Cejudo explained, this was unlike anything he’d experienced before.
“I want to be able to play with my kids. I want to be able to not f—ing lose an eye. That’s kind of how I’m feeling right now, to be quite honest with you,” Cejudo said. “Luckily, it’s only when I lay down or if I look down, but it took me, like, five days for my eye to stop seeing double when I got hurt. So it’s not the fact that I couldn’t see—I was just seeing two people.”
So, what do you think about Henry Cejudo’s legacy? Did Triple C make a mistake by returning from retirement? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
The post “Dana White Thinks I B-Tched Out” – Henry Cejudo Leaks DMs With UFC CEO Over Eye Poke Controversy in Song Yadong Fight appeared first on EssentiallySports.