Henry Cejudo might be forced to retire from fighting.
The former two-division UFC champion suffered a brutal eye poke from Song Yadong in the main event of UFC Seattle this past February. This resulted in a premature and controversial end to the fight, with Cejudo losing by technical decision. Since then, Cejudo has discussed the severity of his eye injury and his dissatisfaction with referee Jason Herzog`s handling of the situation.
In an interview, 38-year-old Cejudo speculated that the ongoing injury could lead to his second retirement if his condition doesn`t improve.
“I never really considered mixed martial arts a particularly dangerous sport,” Cejudo admitted. “I’ve been talking with my wife, and I think this could potentially be my last fight. Just one more and that’s it. If I could have a rematch with Song, I’d be happy with that. But if it’s not Song, I’d like to face anyone the UFC is willing to give me.”
“I want to be able to play with my kids. I want to avoid losing an eye. That’s honestly how I’m feeling right now.”
Cejudo initially retired in 2020 after successfully defending his bantamweight title against Dominick Cruz at UFC 249. This victory followed a successful flyweight title reign, making Cejudo the only combat sports athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in wrestling and UFC championships in two weight divisions.
He returned in May 2023 to challenge bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288 but lost by decision in a closely contested fight. Cejudo’s record is currently 0-3 in his second UFC stint.
Now, he is contemplating retiring from fighting again.
“I might sound like I’m complaining, but this is the worst injury I’ve ever had,” Cejudo told. “I got a second opinion. I even went to one of Sean O’Malley’s doctors, who initially said my eye would recover in a month. However, I still experience double vision when watching TV or looking down. It’s been a month since a pinkie finger went into my eye, and I’m still not fully recovered. The doctor now says it might take another month. Korean Zombie had similar symptoms, which led to his retirement. I’m seeing double. When I look a certain way, I see two feet.”
“Fortunately, it only happens when I lie down or look downwards. But for the first five days after the injury, my vision was double constantly. It wasn’t that I couldn’t see, but I was seeing two of everything, making it impossible to judge distances accurately.”
“I got screwed,” Cejudo added. “I wanted to fight. I just wanted to fight with two functioning eyes.”
Cejudo is eager to return to the octagon for one more fight, if possible, aiming for a proper retirement fight this time. However, his availability depends on his eye`s condition, leaving a possibility that UFC Seattle might have been the final fight of his legendary career.
“I don’t mind losing, but I don’t want my career to end with an eye injury,” Cejudo stated. “It just can’t end like this. I am grateful. I appreciate Dana [White] and everyone at the UFC. They’ve provided me with a platform to support my family and secure my future. But my health is the top priority.”
“I’m uncertain about the UFC’s plans,” Cejudo continued. “I definitely want to fight sometime in the fall, to allow my eye to heal. They said another 30 days, but if it doesn’t improve, I don’t know when I’ll be back. I think this might be the last one, and that’s all.”
Henry Cejudo’s comeback has not gone as he envisioned. He anticipated a hero’s welcome upon his return, but his fight with Aljamain Sterling didn`t generate much excitement initially, despite becoming a compelling back-and-forth battle. Then, Merab Dvalishvili defeated him, and now the focus is on the eye poke incident with Song Yadong.
Is his legacy one that would have been better served if he hadn`t returned to fighting?
