Former UFC champ Henry Cejudo mulling retirement after 'the worst injury I've had'
Henry Cejudo is still dealing with the after effects of the eye injury sustained in his UFC Fight Night 253 loss to Song Yadong, and it has served as a wake-up call.
Cejudo (16-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) saw his main event with Song (22-8-1 MMA, 11-3-1 UFC) end in controversial fashion when an eye poke led to a lengthy break in the action late in the third round. The former two-division champion eventually continued and made it to the end of the frame, where he was unfit to keep fighting, resulting in a technical decision.
Song was not deducted any points for his damaging fouls on Cejudo, which would’ve led to a draw on the scorecards. The eye pokers were not deemed intentional, either, which would’ve led to a no contest or disqualification win for Cejudo. Instead, he not only came out with a loss, but also lingering complications to his vision that have significantly altered his retirement timeline.
“I sound like a cry baby, but it’s the worst injury I’ve had,” Cejudo told MMA Junkie. “I actually got a second opinion. I went to Sean (O’Malley’s) doctor. The other one, he said my eye would be good in a month, but every time I watch TV or I’m looking down, I still see double. It’s been a month and it was a little pinkie that went inside (my eye) and I’m still not 100 percent. My doctor said it would be like another month. ‘Korean Zombie’ (Chan Sung Jung) has the same symptoms, and it was the reason he had to retire. I’m seeing double. When I put my eye a certain way, I’ll see two feet. Luckily it’s only when I lay down or I look down, but it took me like five days for my eye to stop seeing double when I got hurt. It’s not the fact I couldn’t see, but I was seeing two people.
“I never really saw the sport of mixed martial arts as kind of dangerous. I talked to my wife, and I think this could potentially be my last fight. One more and that’s it. If I can run it back with Song, I would be happy with that. But if it’s not Song, I would like anyone that the UFC’s willing to give me. I want to be able to play with my kids. I want to be able to not f*cking lose an eye. That’s kind of how I’m feeling right now to be quite honest with you.”
Cejudo said he is in the process of filing an appeal and legal action with the Washington State Department of Licensing (WSDOL) over how he thinks referee Jason Herzog mishandled the situation on Feb. 22 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Whether that will lead to anything fruitful remains to be seen, but Cejudo said a satisfying outcome would be to have the result overturned to a no contest.
Regardless of how it plays out, Cejudo said his priority is his health. The 38-year-old retired previously in May 2020, but for vastly different reasons. The eye injury has altered his reality and made him think differently about the consequence that can come with stepping in the octagon.
Cejudo could minimize any additional health risks by simply hanging up the gloves now. However, he said that potential path is not one he could live comfortably with, but it’s all dependent on whether his current situation actually improves.
If the worst-case scenario occurs, though, then Cejudo will have seriously rethink the upside of ever stepping back in the octagon.
“I don’t want to leave – I don’t mind losing, but I don’t want to leave getting hit in my freaking eye ball,” Cejudo said. “It just can’t end like that. And I’m grateful. I love Dana (White) and everybody. This isn’t a shot at the UFC. They’ve given me a platform to really help out my family, to really put myself in a great position to where I can set myself up for the future. But at the same time, my health is No. 1 above everything.
“I’m not sure what the UFC has planned (for me). I definitely want to fight some time in the fall. Let my eye heal, they said another 30 days, but if it doesn’t get better, I just don’t know when I’ll be back. I think this is the last one, and that’s all she wrote.”
To hear more from Cejudo, check out his complete appears on “The Bohnfire” podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn.