Electric Card Ends in Unusual Stoppage Loss for Henry Cejudo
On February 22, the UFC returned to Seattle for the first time in a decade. The Fight Night took off running and scarcely let up, delivering thrilling finish after thrilling finish. We did not even see a third round until the main card began, with every prelim fight ending via knockout or submission. The main card continued to deliver excitement, with two back-and-forth split decisions and a highlight reel knockout from Jean Silva. However, the Main Event ended in an anticlimactic and somewhat puzzling fashion. With about a minute left in the third round, Song Yadong unfortunately connected with an eye poke to former two-weight champion Henry Cejudo.
The poke appeared inadvertent, but it was a brutally clean and deep one. Cejudo took the full five minutes before continuing and spent the remaining minute and change simply evading Song’s attacks. After returning to his corner, he was vocal about his inability to see. When he requested a doctor, the writing was on the wall. Referee Jason Herzog made the somewhat baffling decision to start the fourth round before he called a premeditated timeout and waved off the fight. The rationale for beginning the round before the stoppage remains unclear, and fans in the arena were confused and rained down a loud chorus of boos. The scorecards resulted in a Technical Decision win for Song Yadong and tanked Cejudo’s post-retirement record to 0-3.
Immediate Rematch to Settle the Score?
In the aftermath, Song Yadong was all class as he apologized profusely and requested an immediate rematch. Henry Cejudo used his post-fight interview in the octagon to clarify the situation, saying “We’re about to be brothers, Bisping! I can’t see out of the left [eye]. I wanted to continue, but if I can’t see then he’s just gonna hurt me.” When asked if he would like a rematch, he echoed Song’s sentiments, saying “Of course, we can run it back. 100%.”
Ringside commentators Paul Felder and Michael Bisping agreed as well that a rematch was needed to definitively settle things. However, it does not seem that a rematch will be forthcoming. During the post-fight press conference, reporters asked UFC President Dana White if he was interested in booking a rematch. The boss did not mince words:
“Not at all. Not even a little bit. I just don’t wanna see it again.”
It was a competitive fight while it lasted. Song clearly had the edge, but Cejudo did not appear hopelessly outmatched. While not a barn-burner like some of the standout clashes on the card, it was not especially boring either. Both men maintained steady levels of activity, trading blows with little to no grappling. It’s a bit intriguing that White is so opposed to running it back. Regardless of his reasons, he was unequivocal. There will be no rematch, and the result is what it is.
Questionable Future for Cejudo
Henry Cejudo’s return after a 3-year retirement has not gone to plan. He left at the pinnacle of the sport, after winning and defending championships at both Flyweight and Bantamweight. Since returning to competition in 2023, he is now 0-3 with losses to Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili preceding last night’s loss to Song Yadong. At 38 years old, he is still able to compete. The striking differential was not drastic against Yadong, and two of three judges awarded him one round in the contest.
However, the results speak for themselves. It is not enough in this sport to merely look decent in defeat after defeat, especially with the clock ticking as he nears 40. After taking yet another consecutive loss, there are serious questions about where he goes from here. Does Dana White believe Cejudo can still compete with the elite fighters in the division? If not, does he see utility in keeping Cejudo around as a gatekeeper to test bright prospects? Would Cejudo himself be content in that role, or without the potential for bigger fights would he prefer to slink back into retirement? It would seem that Cejudo and the organization have tough decisions ahead regarding next steps.
Tougher Tests for Song
Song Yadong’s future, by contrast, is rather clear. Despite the unfortunate circumstances of his win over Henry Cejudo, he looked good in the contest. He easily stuffed all of Cejudo’s takedown attempts and out-landed him on the feet. Since UFC is content with letting the result stand and not booking a rematch, it stands to reason that we should see Song attempt to push into the top 5 of the division.
When asked what he would like next in light of Dana White’s reluctance to grant his wish of reprising the fight with Cejudo, Song was clear about his goals.
“My goal is to be a world champion. Give me someone ranked above me. If not Henry, give me [Sean] O’Malley. I can fight anytime.”
Former champion Sean O’Malley has previously expressed his desire for a rematch with Merab Dvalishvili, and Dana White has indicated that UFC may be interested in granting his wish. Either way, Song’s win over Cejudo postures him to take a big fight and begin pushing toward title contention. It’s an excellent call-out on his part and would promise the type of exciting stand-up war that fans and management love to see, should it come to pass. Though Henry Cejudo’s place in the picture remains unclear, we can look forward to some more huge fights in the future at 135 lbs.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
