Brendan Schaub lambasted referee Jason Herzog and the UFC after the controversial finale of UFC Seattle’s main event. Song Yadong defeated Henry Cejudo via a technical decision, although the result disappointed spectators and fighters alike. ‘The Kung Fu Kid’ poked Cejudo in both eyes late in the third round, rendering him unable to see. Despite the severity of the foul, Herzog did not remove a point, leaving the fight to the judges’ scorecards. Many people considered this an unfair decision, as a point deduction could have impacted the outcome of the fight. This was a poor decision as per Brendan Schaub, as the former fighter called for a rule change in the UFC.
Brendan Schaub took to Instagram to criticize Herzog and the UFC’s treatment of illegal strikes. “There’s nothing worse than poking a guy in the eye in any sport,” Schaub stated while claiming that even if you ask legends like Tom Brady to throw a football with one eye, they’d fail. “Now ask Henry Cejudo, in his underwear, in a steel cage, fighting the number seven guy in the f—— world, with one eye to perform. It’s insane.” He went on to suggest that eye pokes, like other illegal strikes, should result in an automatic penalty.
The fighter-turned-standup comedian added, “When was the last time some type of point was taken away for a nut kick or an eye poke? An illegal hit is an illegal hit.” He further added, “It should be zero tolerance.” Henry Cejudo could not see out of his left eye even after five minutes of recovery. Instead of calling for a disqualification or taking away a point, Herzog chose to end the fight and send it to the judges. The Chinese fighter’s unanimous decision victory did little to soothe the outrage, especially as fighters and fans pointed out that similar fouls have resulted in disqualifications in the past.
Song Yadong apologized after the bout and claimed a desire for a rematch, but Brendan Schaub was not satisfied. He attacked the UFC’s leniency toward eye pokes, urging a more stringent policy. Schaub said, “Finger in the eye, thumb in the eye, d— in the eye, we’re taking a point.” Many in the MMA community appear to agree, with the scandal reigniting debate about how the sport handles illegal hits. However, unlike Brendan Schaub, who is speaking in favor of Henry Cejudo, Chael Sonnen has really differing opinions.
Chael Sonnen goes off on Henry Cejudo
Chael Sonnen took a strong stand against Henry Cejudo after his controversial loss to Song Yadong at UFC Seattle. While many, including Brendan Schaub, blasted referee Jason Herzog for failing to deduct a point, Sonnen focused on Cejudo’s reaction. On the Good Guy/Bad Guy podcast, ‘The Bad Guy’ did not mince words when questioning Cejudo’s fighting spirit. “I’m essentially accusing possibly the greatest combat athlete of cheating. That is just so unlike Henry. I mean, truly, so unlike Henry in the way that he did play it,” Sonnen said.
He suggested that rather than fighting through the difficulty, Cejudo used the foul to his advantage. “This is a guy who walked through fire many times. This is a guy who walked through fire at 20 years old to become an Olympic champion. It didn’t seem like he was willing to walk through fire this night.” Sonnen’s comments come as there are rising doubts over Henry Cejudo’s return to the UFC. Since coming out of retirement in 2023, the former double champion has only experienced disappointment. His losses to Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili were disappointing, but his defeat to Song Yadong was more damaging.
Although the third-round eye poke left him with vision issues, Sonnen downplayed the gravity of the situation. “He got poked in the eye. I’ve seen worse. You’re telling me Henry Cejudo, the Olympic gold medalist, the two-division world champion, the guy who took down Demetrious Johnson and beat Dominick Cruz, couldn’t push through that? Come on, man.” He also questioned Cejudo’s choice to campaign for a rematch, saying he should accept defeat and move on. But what do you think? Will ‘Triple C’ accept defeat? Or will Cejudo keep pressing Dana White for a rematch? Let us know in the comments.
The post Brendan Schaub Goes Scorched Earth on UFC as Calls Mount for “Zero Tolerance” After Henry Cejudo Eye-Poke Injury appeared first on EssentiallySports.
