With the ditching of newly designed gloves – another debacle took center stage over the weekend. Headlining UFC Fight Night Seattle, Henry Cejudo was forced from a main event clash by the end of the third round against Chinese star, Song Yadong.
And the culprit; a nasty, albeit inadvertent eye poke from Yadong in the final minute of the third frame, sending Cejudo to the writhing to the Octagon canvas. Unable to answer the buzzer for the fourth round, Cejudo would subsequently drop a technical decision loss to Song.
Going unpunished by the referee, Jason Herzog for his infraction, Yadong would ride out as the eventual winner. But not without controversy. Weighing in on social media tonight amid the fiasco, lightweight veteran, Jim Miller shared his definitive thoughts on the issue of eye pokes and offered some sizeable punishment suggestions.
“It’s not the gloves, it’s the culture,” Miller posted on X tonight. “The shameless, win-at-all-costs mentality amongst fighters and the “eye pokes are an accident and not a foul” mentality most people seem to have.”, he added in frustration.
However, according to Miller, ensuring that a fighter is punished for egregious fouls would prove a massive help in limiting them and it’s not just a point deduction he’s talking about.
“The good news is that we can change the culture,” Miller continued. “I believe not only a point deduction but also a purse deduction would have a rapid effect on how many pokes we see.”, he added, suggesting a hit where it hurts the most.
It’s not the gloves, it’s the culture. The shameless, win at all costs mentality amongst fighters and the “eye pokes are an accident and not a foul” mentality most people seem to have. The good news is that we can change the culture. Penalize the foul immediately during the pause…
— Jim Miller (@JimMiller_155) February 24, 2025
Confidently claiming to have never poked a fellow fighter in the eye during combat, the lightweight staple has the facts to back it up.
The lightweight veteran claimed she had logged into work with those gloves 45 times, totaling over 7 hours inside the Octagon, landing over 1200 significant strikes, and not once, did he manage to extend his fingers into an opponent’s eye.
In the meantime, Cejudo is already in recovery and thinking about what’s next. While a section of the fanbase would like to see him call it a day rather than disintegrate his own legacy, Cejudo wants a rematch with Yadong.
Cejudo wants some cowboy justice
Following the conclusion of UFC Seattle, quite a few fingers were pointed at Triple C for being unable to continue after eye pokes. Now, with the dust settled, it is being reported that Cejudo has been left with a corneal abrasion at the hands — or fingers of Yadong – a grave injustice according to him.
And as such, he wants to get some vengeance of his own.
“Run it back @danawhite,” Henry Cejudo posted on X.
“@SongYadongLFG you told me you wanted a rematch. Your face at the end says it all. You know you didn’t defeat me. Learn how to close your fists and sign the damn contract!”, Triple C bellowed.
And maintaining his innocence, Yadong vowed to take Cejudo to the fourth round this time, before knocking him out. “Bro, of course, I’m more than happy to have a rematch with you,” Song Yadong tweeted, asking Cejudo to convince the UFC first.
Bro, of course, I’m more than happy to have a rematch with you. The first three rounds were just my warm-up. My plan was to turn it up in the fourth round and KO you—you know that. Tell the UFC to set it up, I’m ready to sign the contract anytime.
— Song Yadong (@SongYadongLFG) February 24, 2025
However, that would be easier said than done since UFC boss Dana White doesn’t seem all that keen on it. “Not at all. Not even a little bit. I just don’t want to see it again,” White said in the post-event presser in Seattle.
