UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo was taken to the hospital after a disappointing loss to Song Yadong at UFC Seattle, with the fight ending in a technical decision victory for the Chinese fighter. The controversy began when Cejudo’s eye was poked by Yadong in the third round, forcing a medical timeout.
Revealing the full extent of his injury, Cejudo posted an image of his damaged eye on social media, explaining that he suffered diplopia, soft tissue damage, and corneal abrasion. Cejudo denied claims that he was using the injury as an excuse to stop the fight, stating “he wanted a way out”.
The incident sparked debate over whether Yadong should have been penalized for the foul. If Cejudo had lost a point due to the eye poke, the outcome might have been different, with many expecting a majority draw rather than Song’s technical decision victory.
Cejudo is already calling for a rematch against Yadong, but UFC CEO Dana White has ruled out the possibility. The loss marks an unfortunate end to Cejudo’s performance, which saw him surge in the early rounds before the eye poke ended his chances of winning.
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/2/23/24371335/henry-cejudo-reveals-damage-done-from-eye-poke-that-ended-his-fight-against-song-yadong-ufc-seattle