After coming up short in his last two outings, former two-division titleholder Henry Cejudo returned to the Octagon on Saturday night for a clash with rising bantamweight contender Song Yadong in the UFC Seattle main event.
Round 1
Cejudo takes the center of the Octagon immediately and eats a calf kick from Song. Cejudo throws a combination, but he’s out of reach as Song connects with another lead leg attack. Song continues to work on Cejudo’s leg as ‘Triple C’ tries to find his way inside. Cejudo lands a body kick and feints a single leg before coming back up top with a left hook. Cejudo delivers a leg kick of his own and Song responds with a jab to the body.
They trade leg kicks and Cejudo throws a high kick that gets blocked by Song. Cejudo is struggling to find the range as Song lands a nice counter right. Cejudo charges in and lands a left followed by a low kick that appears to have Song’s lead leg compromised. Song offers up an uppercut that misses the mark. Cejudo throws another body kick that Song catches and counters with a stiff right hand. Cejudo pressures Song up against the fence but opts not to throw anything as the round comes to a close.
Round 2
Song starts round two with a kick to the body and then one to the calf. Cejudo fires right back, looking to further damage Song’s lead leg. Cejudo continues to punish Song’s leg and unloads an overhand right that misses. Song is getting a bit more aggressive in his approach, backing up Cejudo and connecting with a big right hand. Cejudo shoots for his first takedown attempt of the fight, but Song shrugs it off. Song lands with a left and Cejudo answers with a left of his own.
Cejudo shoots again and Song sprawls, prompting Cejudo to back off. Song lands a body kick, but trips and eats a couple strikes on his way back up. Song lands another calf kick and it appears to knock ‘Triple C’ off balance. Cejudo switches stances and catches Song with a stiff jab. Cejudo throws a right but eats a left in return. Song looks for a takedown, but Cejudo fends it off.
Song lands a left, but Cejudo comes right back with a one-two that bloodies up Song’s nose just before the horn.
Round 3
Both fighters are opening up in the early moments of the third. Cejudo lands multiple solid lefts followed by a right. Song comes back with a combination in the center of the Octagon. Cejudo goes for a flying knee, but Song sees it coming and sidesteps. Cejudo lands with another left. Song throws a kick to the body, but inadvertently catches Cejudo in the cup. Replay shows that it was a glancing blow and the fight gets underway after only a few seconds.
They get right back to it with Song landing a combination. Cejudo answers with a jab and keeps moving forward. Song throws a big knee up the middle that was partially blocked by Cejudo. Song goes back to the leg kick and Cejudo tests the chin of Cejudo with a big right hand. Song accidentally pokes Cejudo in the eye during an exchange which brings the fight to another pause.
Cejudo takes the full five minutes to recover, but the fight resumes and Song comes out looking to put on the pressure. Song unleashes a flurry of strikes, but Cejudo ducks and dodges as he’s just looking to get out of the round. Cejudo stays elusive as Song tries to land a flying knee against the fence just before the horn.
As Cejudo goes back to his corner, he says that he “can’t f*cking see” what Song is throwing at him. Cejudo requests to see the doctor stating that he can’t see out of his left eye. Herzog explains that if Cejudo can’t continue, he’s going to start the fourth round, call an immediate pause, and then stop the bout. Herzog explains that this will allow him to go to the scorecards.
Technically, only three rounds have to be completed in a five-round fight for them to go to the scorecards so there was no need to start the fourth round. Regardless, we go to the scorecards after three rounds of a scheduled five rounds and the fans are not happy.
Official Result: Song Yadong def. Henry Cejudo via technical decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Check Out Highlights From Henry Cejudo vs. Song Yadong at UFC Seattle:
Henry Cejudo Tells Ref To Take Away Point From Song Yadong For Eye Poke #UFCFightNight pic.twitter.com/EYVWtaT9HL
— CornerKaos (@CornerKaos) February 23, 2025
Henry Cejudo Gets Boo’d Mercilessly After Using Full 5 Minutes For Eye Poke Time Out #UFCFightNight pic.twitter.com/e5Mqo9tT8D
— CornerKaos (@CornerKaos) February 23, 2025
Song Yadong def. Henry Cejudo via technical decision.
Anticlimactic ending. #UFCSeattle | #MMA
pic.twitter.com/7rNVwiPxtO— Delinquent MMA (@DelinquentMMA) February 23, 2025
29-28, 29-28, 30-27 #UFCSeattle
Song Yadong beats Henry Cejudo by technical decision in our main event! pic.twitter.com/3Op0Zim5ly
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) February 23, 2025
