UFC Seattle delivered a night of intense action at the Climate Pledge Arena on February 22, 2025, with a bantamweight main event between Henry Cejudo and Song Yadong. However, the fight ended in controversy after an accidental eye poke forced a technical decision in Song’s favor.
Main Event: Song Yadong Wins After Eye Poke Stops Cejudo Fight
From the very beginning the battle between double champion Henry Cejudo and challenger Song Yadong extended its competitive nature. Numerous distinguishable hand strikes along with grappling exchanges between the fighters maintained constant viewer engagement. During the third round Song accidently stuck his finger into Cejudo’s eye resulting in serious vision difficulties.
Despite the allotted recovery time, Cejudo was not able to continue, making the ringside doctor to call off the fight. Judges scored the bout 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27 in favor of Song, which awarded him the technical decision victory.
Cejudo Calls for a Rematch
After the fight, Cejudo expressed his frustration, stating:
“I was seeing double after the eye poke. I wanted to continue, but my vision was compromised. This isn’t the way I wanted this fight to go.”
With controversy surrounding the finish, Cejudo has called for an immediate rematch to settle the score.
Watch Henry Cejudo Post-Fight Interview Below:
Co-Main Event: Anthony Hernandez Defeats Brendan Allen in Gritty Middleweight Battle
In the co-main event, surging middleweight Anthony Hernandez continued his winning streak by defeating Brendan Allen via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). Hernandez’s relentless pressure and superior grappling overwhelmed Allen, positioning him closer to title contention in the 185-pound division.
UFC Seattle Undercard Results & Highlights
- Ricky Simon Bounces Back: After a three-fight skid, Ricky Simon returned to form with a spectacular knockout victory over Javid Basharat. His performance earned him a “Performance of the Night” bonus.
- Austin Vanderford Shines in UFC Debut: Former Bellator standout Austin Vanderford made a successful UFC debut, securing a second-round TKO victory over Nikolay Veretennikov. However, post-fight tensions escalated when Veretennikov refused to show sportsmanship, leading to potential disciplinary actions
