{"id":5435,"date":"2025-02-23T14:39:30","date_gmt":"2025-02-23T13:39:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/?p=5435"},"modified":"2025-02-23T21:55:58","modified_gmt":"2025-02-23T20:55:58","slug":"song-yadong-defeats-henry-cejudo-by-technical-decision-was-the-end-of-the-awaited-fight-fair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/song-yadong-defeats-henry-cejudo-by-technical-decision-was-the-end-of-the-awaited-fight-fair\/","title":{"rendered":"Song Yadong Defeats Henry Cejudo by Technical Decision: Was the End of the Awaited Fight Fair?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"dad65929\">\n<div class=\"f9bf7997 d7dc56a8 c05b5566\">\n<div class=\"ds-markdown ds-markdown--block\">\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a night filled with excitement and controversy,\u00a0<strong>UFC Seattle<\/strong>\u00a0hosted a highly anticipated fight between rising Chinese star\u00a0<strong>Song Yadong<\/strong>\u00a0and former Olympic champion\u00a0<strong>Henry Cejudo<\/strong>. The dramatic ending of the fight, which saw a technical decision in favor of Yadong after Cejudo was hit by accidental eye strikes, raised questions about the fairness of the outcome and the future of both fighters in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA).<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Round 1 and 2: Yadong\u2019s Clear Dominance<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">From the first round, Song Yadong showed clear superiority in speed and power, managing to impose his rhythm on the fight. Using a combination of powerful punches and quick kicks, Yadong succeeded in destabilizing Cejudo, who seemed to struggle to find his usual timing. In the second round, Yadong continued to dominate, avoiding most of Cejudo\u2019s counterattacks and responding with precise strikes.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Question raised:<\/strong>\u00a0Was Cejudo struggling to adapt to Yadong\u2019s style, or was the Chinese fighter simply at the peak of his physical and technical abilities?<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Round 3: Accidental Strikes and Fight Stoppage<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Midway through the third round, Cejudo was hit by two accidental eye strikes, leading to a temporary stoppage of the fight. After a five-minute break, Cejudo attempted to continue but indicated he could no longer see clearly from his left eye.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"und\" dir=\"ltr\">&quot;The Cejudo-Song fight was stopped after the fourth round and continued to a decision!&quot; \ud83e\udd4a<\/p>\n<p>&quot;\u062a\u0648\u0642\u0641 \u0646\u0632\u0627\u0644 \u0633\u064a\u0647\u0648\u062f\u0648 \u0636\u062f \u0633\u0648\u0646\u063a \u0628\u0639\u062f \u0627\u0644\u062c\u0648\u0644\u0629 \u0627\u0644\u0631\u0627\u0628\u0639\u0629 \u0648\u0627\u0633\u062a\u0645\u0631 \u062d\u062a\u0649 \u0627\u0644\u0648\u0635\u0648\u0644 \u0625\u0644\u0649 \u0627\u0644\u0642\u0631\u0627\u0631!&quot; \ud83e\udd4a<\/p>\n<p>&quot;Le combat Cejudo contre Song a \u00e9t\u00e9 arr\u00eat\u00e9 apr\u00e8s le quatri\u00e8me round et a continu\u00e9 jusqu&#39;\u00e0 la d\u00e9cision!&quot; \ud83e\udd4a <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/f59lzeyLuz\">pic.twitter.com\/f59lzeyLuz<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; mmamag.ma (@jamalsoussi10) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jamalsoussi10\/status\/1893765377299014061?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 23, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Referee\u00a0<strong>Jason Herzog<\/strong>\u00a0decided to stop the fight and leave the result to the judges.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"und\" dir=\"rtl\">What a disappointing end to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/UFCSeattle?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#UFCSeattle<\/a>! Song Yadong wins by decision after an accidental eye poke left Henry Cejudo unable to continue the fight\ud83d\ude1e\ud83e\udd4a<\/p>\n<p>\u0646\u0647\u0627\u064a\u0629 \u0645\u062e\u064a\u0628\u0629 \u0641\u064a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/UFCSeattle?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#UFCSeattle<\/a>!\u0633\u0648\u0646\u063a \u064a\u0627\u062f\u0648\u0646\u063a \u064a\u0641\u0648\u0632 \u0628\u0642\u0631\u0627\u0631 \u0627\u062d\u062a\u0633\u0627\u0628 \u0627\u0644\u062c\u0648\u0644\u0627\u062a \u0627\u0644\u062b\u0644\u0627\u062b \u0627\u0644\u0623\u0648\u0644\u0649 \u0628\u0639\u062f \u0625\u0635\u0627\u0628\u0629 \u063a\u064a\u0631 \u0645\u0642\u0635\u0648\u062f\u0629 \u0644\u0647\u0646\u0631\u064a \u0633\u064a\u0647\u0648\u062f\u0648 \u0625\u062b\u0631 \u0648\u062e\u0632 \u0641\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0639\u064a\u0646 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/clf2Aoum04\">pic.twitter.com\/clf2Aoum04<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; mmamag.ma (@jamalsoussi10) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jamalsoussi10\/status\/1893764893897109551?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 23, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Analysis:<\/strong>\u00a0The referee\u2019s decision to stop the fight was controversial. If Cejudo had withdrawn immediately after the accidental strikes, the fight could have been declared a &#8220;no contest.&#8221; But his decision to continue, despite his injury, led the referee to stop the fight based on medical advice.<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Technical Decision: Yadong\u2019s Victory by Judges\u2019 Decision<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">After the fight was stopped, the judges awarded the victory to Song Yadong with scores of 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27. This decision sparked significant controversy, especially since Cejudo was clearly suffering from an eye injury.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Question raised:<\/strong>\u00a0Was the judges\u2019 decision fair given Cejudo\u2019s injury, or did Yadong deserve the win based on his performance in the earlier rounds?<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Reactions: Yadong Apologizes, Cejudo Criticizes the Decision<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">After the fight, Song Yadong apologized for the accidental strikes, stating:\u00a0<strong>&#8220;It was totally accidental.&#8221;<\/strong>\u00a0On his part, Cejudo criticized the decision, pointing out that he couldn\u2019t see clearly due to his injury, which affected his performance in the third round.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"und\" dir=\"ltr\">&quot;This fight has been stopped after 3 rounds! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SongYadongLFG?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@SongYaDongLFG<\/a> wins via technical decision.&quot; \ud83e\udd4a<\/p>\n<p>&quot;\u0627\u0644\u0646\u0632\u0627\u0644 \u064a\u062a\u0648\u0642\u0641 \u0628\u0639\u062f 3 \u062c\u0648\u0644\u0627\u062a! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SongYadongLFG?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@SongYaDongLFG<\/a> \u064a\u0641\u0648\u0632 \u0628\u0642\u0631\u0627\u0631 \u0641\u0646\u064a.&quot; \ud83e\udd4a<\/p>\n<p>&quot;Ce combat est arr\u00eat\u00e9 apr\u00e8s 3 rounds! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SongYadongLFG?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@SongYaDongLFG<\/a> gagne par d\u00e9cision technique.&quot; \ud83e\udd4a <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jwYpyQPEWO\">pic.twitter.com\/jwYpyQPEWO<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; mmamag.ma (@jamalsoussi10) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jamalsoussi10\/status\/1893766484930810085?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 23, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Analysis:<\/strong>\u00a0This incident raises questions about UFC rules regarding accidental injuries and their impact on fight outcomes. Does the organization need to revise its rules to ensure greater fairness in such cases?<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>The Bigger Picture: The Future of Both Fighters<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">With this victory, Song Yadong strengthens his position as one of the most promising fighters in the bantamweight division. This win could open doors for him to face bigger names in the near future. On the other hand, Henry Cejudo finds himself in a tough spot, especially after declaring that this fight might be his last attempt to win the title before retiring.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Question raised:<\/strong>\u00a0Can Cejudo, at 38 years old, bounce back from this loss and continue to compete at the highest level, or will this result hasten his decision to retire?<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Open Questions for the Future<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ol style=\"text-align: justify;\" start=\"1\">\n<li><strong>Can Song Yadong Continue His Rise to the Top?<\/strong><br \/>\nWith this controversial win, can Yadong prove he deserves to face bigger names, like the current champion?<\/li>\n<li><strong>What\u2019s Next for Henry Cejudo in the UFC?<\/strong><br \/>\nAfter this bitter defeat, will Cejudo attempt a strong comeback, or will this result mark the beginning of the end of his career?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Does the UFC Need to Revise Its Rules?<\/strong><br \/>\nWith the controversy surrounding the fight\u2019s ending, does the organization need to revisit its rules regarding accidental injuries to ensure greater fairness?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The UFC Seattle fight between Song Yadong and Henry Cejudo was filled with excitement and controversy. While Yadong strengthens his position as one of the most promising fighters, Cejudo finds himself in a difficult situation that could threaten his future in MMA. The dramatic ending of the fight raises questions about the fairness of decisions and UFC rules, making this fight a turning point in both fighters\u2019 careers. Will we see a strong comeback from Cejudo, or will Yadong continue his rise to the top? Only time will tell.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a night filled with excitement and controversy,\u00a0UFC Seattle\u00a0hosted a highly anticipated fight between rising Chinese star\u00a0Song Yadong\u00a0and former Olympic champion\u00a0Henry Cejudo. The dramatic ending of the fight, which saw a technical decision in favor of Yadong after Cejudo was hit by accidental eye strikes, raised questions about the fairness of the outcome and the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5436,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,86,21,91],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5435","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mma","8":"category-mma-video","9":"category-ufc-news","10":"category-ufc"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5435"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5435"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5435\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5437,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5435\/revisions\/5437"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}