A controversial eye poke by Song Yadong forced Henry Cejudo to stop fighting after the third round, leading to Song winning by decision in their UFC Seattle main event.
While both fighters hinted at a possible rematch, UFC CEO Dana White has already dismissed the idea, showing no interest despite the unsatisfying ending. Cejudo was unable to see after the eye poke, leading to a doctor’s stoppage.
“Not at all,” White said when asked about a rematch during the UFC Seattle post-fight press conference. “Not even a little bit. I just don’t want to see it again.”
White did not directly criticize Cejudo for being unable to continue but admitted he wasn’t surprised by the outcome. At the time of the stoppage, Song was leading on the judges’ scorecards and appeared to be taking control of the fight.
“Yeah [I knew he wasn’t going to be able to continue],” White said about Cejudo. “I have no idea [how he was feeling]. I’ll let him answer all those questions.
“Song looked good. Only [Cejudo] can answer those questions. I don’t know if he thought, ‘If I stop here, is this a [disqualification], no contest?’ I don’t know what he was thinking, or maybe he can’t see.”
A key debate following the fight was referee Jason Herzog’s decision not to deduct a point from Song for the eye poke, as point deductions in such cases are left to the referee’s discretion.
The UFC CEO backed Herzog’s decision, stating he believed the foul was unintentional.
“If you thought he intentionally poked him in the eye, [you take a point],” White said. “Why would he poke him in the eye? He was doing pretty well. If he was getting his ass whooped, and he poked him in the eye, you could probably make the argument.”
While White praised the UFC Seattle event as a whole, his tone shifted when discussing the main event’s abrupt and unsatisfying conclusion.
“Listen, eye pokes are never good, but they happen a lot,” White said. “And fights do continue after eye pokes. I don’t know, I’d have to look and see how many fights are actually stopped due to an eye poke. Not many.”
With the UFC head honcho firmly against a rematch, it remains to be seen what’s next for both Song and Cejudo following their controversial clash.
