Henry Cejudo Confronts Jason Herzog Over Controversial UFC Seattle Eye Poke Decision

The fallout from UFC Fight Night between Henry Cejudo vs. Song Yadong still continues to be relevant in the MMA circuit. Recently Cejudo made a bold move and confronted referee Jason Herzog over the controversial eye poke that ended his fight against Song. In a video shared on Instagram, the former two-division UFC champion called Herzog to express his frustration over the lack of a point deduction which ultimately led to Cejudo’s technical decision loss.

Henry Cejudo Posts a Video of his Confrontational Conversation with Jason Herzog

The video features frustrated Cejudo criticizing Herzog for the latter’s failure to take immediate action against Song post the eye poke in the third round. He highlighted two key points: first, Herzog did not penalize Song despite the clear foul, and second, he allowed the fight to resume even though Song continued extending his fingers—an action that had already been warned against.



“One, you didn’t take a point, and then two, when I took the five-minute break and we ended up coming back to actually fight, I still wasn’t recovered,” Cejudo told Herzog. “That dude still came in [with outstretched fingers], and you didn’t do anything.”

Herzog, in response, acknowledged the criticism and admitted he should have handled the situation differently. “I completely agree. Especially afterward, when he came out with his fingers like this, why didn’t I stop it and take a point immediately?” Herzog said. “I think that’s a very valid criticism and an adjustment that I probably should have made.”

Cejudo, visibly disheartened, pointed out further that the referee had gone over these exact situations in the locker room before the fight, yet failed to implement those same standards when it mattered the most.

“You say these rules in the back, Jason, and that’s what bugs me,” Cejudo continued. “Everything that you said [would be enforced] happened to me, and there’s no point taken away. I have a loss on my record, Jason, because you didn’t make the right call.”

Herzog conceded, reiterating that he should have taken a point away from Song, which would have resulted in a majority draw instead of a loss for Cejudo.

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The controversy around the UFC Seattle is unlikely to calm down anytime soon, especially now that Herzog has admitted his mistake. Only time will tell if the debate regarding the fairness of the match will have any favorable outcome for Cejudo in the future.