Seattle, WA — The UFC Seattle main event fizzled after three rounds, as Song Yadong landed an eye poke on former double champ Henry Cejudo that brought about an early end to the bantamweight fight.
It’s not an outcome anyone wanted. Certainly not Cejudo, and not Song Yadong, despite the fact that he came away with a technical unanimous decision victory, as three full rounds were in the books, sending the bout to the judges.
“My plan is, finish him fourth or fifth round. That was totally [accidental],” Yadong (22-8-1, 1NC) said following the event, addressing media outlets including Cageside Press. “I’m not so happy with that, but it is what it is. I feel bad. I feel bad for Henry.”
China’s Yadong is a soft-spoken fighter, a true nice guy in a sport based on toughness and bravado. A polar opposite of sorts to Cejudo himself, who turned up at weigh-ins with a giant fortune cookie housing his own prediction for the fight — a prediction that clearly did not come to fruition.
Despite those antics, Song was far from annoyed, and actually appears to admire Cejudo’s penchant for promotion. “Totally no,” Yadong replied when asked if Henry had gotten under his skin or annoyed him in any way. “I like this guy. He’s a good promoter, it made it easier to promote the fight. He did some things to make the people watch the fight— I like him.”
Saturday’s win in the UFC Seattle main event gives Song Yadong the victory on paper, though coming to an end early seems to have left a sour taste in everyone’s mouth, including UFC CEO and President Dana White— who nixed the idea of running Yadong and Cejudo a second time. Which means, despite a win over a big-name opponent, Yadong may need to further prove himself against another top bantamweight.
“My goal is the world champion. So whatever they give me – my goal is, I want to fight the guy who is ranked above me,” exclaimed Yadong. “If not Henry, Sean O’Malley. Give me O’Malley. I can fight any time.”
Watch the full UFC Seattle post-fight press conference appearance by Song Yadong above.
