UFC fans were mixed between concerned and disappointed as Henry Cejudo vs. Song Yadong at UFC Seattle ended in a technical decision following a gnarly eye poke.
Yadong defeated Cejudo by technical decision. ‘The Kung Fu Kid’ poked Cejudo’s eyes during a striking exchange, forcing a timeout in the third round.
A wide-eyed Cejudo used the full five-minute timeout to recover from the poke before fighting on to the fourth round. Fans were less than pleased with the UFC Seattle result.
Referee Jason Herzog started the fourth round and stopped the contest after one second to make it a scoreable fight. However, sentiment might change knowing the damning statements Cejudo made that forced the fight to be stopped.
Henry Cejudo forced Song Yadong fight stoppage by admitting he couldn’t see
Between rounds three and four, a startled Cejudo made some stunning remarks to his corner team, alleging he couldn’t see after the eye pokes.
“I can’t f—— see, man,” Cejudo remarked. “It’s f—— blurry, dude.”
In the post-fight interview, Cejudo later told Michael Bisping that they were ‘brothers’ having lost eyesight in the Octagon.
Bisping famously suffered a detached retina in his head kick knockout loss to Vitor Belfort in 2013. Despite essentially fighting with one eye, the Brit managed to deceive medical commissions and continue fighting to win the middleweight belt four years later.
MMA pundit reveals Jason Herzog followed protocol ‘to a tee’ in Cejudo-Song decision
Weighing in on the controversy, MMA broadcaster Aaron Bronsteter detailed his knowledge of Jason Herzog’s stoppage. Bronsteter has passed an ABC MMA refereeing course.
As far as Bronsteter is concerned, Herzog followed protocol to the tee, calling a time out, consulting Cejudo, marking intent to continue, offering a doctor, giving a timeout, and generally following the rules as they have been laid out.
Cejudo’s comments in the corner would have warranted the stoppage since it would be considered a fight-ending foul.