Henry Cejudo is facing skepticism in the aftermath of his controversial loss at UFC Seattle.
The former dual-weight UFC champion was hoping to snap a two-fight losing skid against Song Yadong on Saturday night – but he ended up suffering a technical decision defeat when an eye poke left him unable to continue after three rounds.
Following a trip to the hospital, Cejudo gave a grim update about his eye injury as he called for a rematch.
However, he has faced flack for being unable to fight through the pain at the Climate Pledge Arena.
Sean O’Malley’s coach reacts to Henry Cejudo’s latest loss
Sean O’Malley has been very quiet since losing his 135lb title to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306 in September 2024.
‘Suga’ is taking a break from social media, but his long-time coach, Tim Welch, still uses it every so often.
This past weekend, he tweeted along while watching UFC Seattle and its unfortunate conclusion.
“Henry knew he had nothing left for Song. #UFC,” Welch posted about the strange main event finish.
The opinion divided fans, with some agreeing with Welch and others using it to bash his famous pupil.
Cejudo and O’Malley have beefed through the years, so it’s unclear how sincere Welch’s criticism is.
Regardless, ‘Triple C’ has come out fighting in the aftermath of his third consecutive loss in the Octagon.
Henry Cejudo demands rule change
Cejudo believes the UFC should implement a rule change after his fight with Yadong.
The referees can currently only use replays to review illegal blows that occur at the end of fights.
“Did Song do it intentionally? No. Should there be a point deducted? 100 percent, man,” Cejudo said in an Instagram video statement.
“I just hope that the UFC can maybe allow replays for things like that, and then the referee can make the decision whether [it’s a foul].
“As a fighter, one of the first things the referee says, when they go in the back, is, ‘You cannot stick your fingers out like that’. I think the warning is already said before the fight. I eventually got f—ing poked with two fingers.
“Once Song came [at me] after getting that five-minute break, I saw four arms, dude. It’s unfortunate.
“I think there’s a lot of things we can do. It’s not Song’s fault. I’m not p—– at him. But I will say this, Jason Herzog, I’m curious to talk to you, man. I got kicked in the balls a couple of times and then eye poked.
“Bro, something has to be done. I think as referees too we could all learn. I also think for the UFC, maybe there should be something where there is a replay, where the referee is able to see the replay. Even if it wasn’t intentional, you still cannot do this.”