Song Yadong tops Henry Cejudo on points in UFC main event - ESPN

A key bantamweight matchup between Song Yadong and Henry Cejudo came to an unfortunate conclusion on Saturday, one that might require the UFC to book an immediate rematch.

Yadong (22-8-1) defeated Cejudo (16-5) by technical decision when the fight was stopped after the third round due to Cejudo being unable to see from an accidental eye poke. The 135-pound bout, which headlined UFC Fight Night in Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, was scheduled for five rounds.

All three judges scored the abbreviated fight in Yadong's favor: 30-27, 29-28, 29-28.

The fight went to a technical decision because it went three full rounds, as Cejudo tried to continue after the eye poke and ultimately finished Round 3. Had Cejudo been unable to continue immediately when the eye poke happened, the fight would have been called off and ruled a no contest.

Immediately following the result, Yadong suggested an immediate rematch.

«That was totally an accident,» Yadong said of the eye poke. «The result is not what I wanted. I'm so sorry. Henry is a legend. We should run it back. We will fight again.»

A former two-weight champion, Cejudo, 38, who made his first appearance in almost one year, also expressed interest in a rematch. He made it clear that retirement was not on his mind following the unfortunate result.

«I couldn't see out of my left eye,» Cejudo said. «The right is OK. That last minute [of the third round] when he was chasing me, I didn't know what he was throwing. I wanted to continue, but if I couldn't see, he was just going to hurt me. Of course, we can run that back. One hundred percent.»

The eye poke occurred late in the third round, as Cejudo moved forward with punches and Yadong extended his hand out defensively. The contest was