Henry Cejudo still 'seeing double' as he considers second retirement after Song Yadong eye poke

Yesterday at 05:57 AM

Henry Cejudo has conceded that his career inside the cage may have come to an unceremonious end.

On February 22, 2025, at UFC Seattle, the wrestling icon went toe-to-toe with Song Yadong in a must-win contest.

However, after getting poked in the eye, the former two-weight world champion couldn’t continue.

Even though Cejudo has tried to make light of the situation by mocking the referee, who tried to enforce the rules during his recent loss, now, it appears that the realization of the seriousness of his injury has hit home.

WOW: Henry Cejudo names the three fights that the UFC needs to book in 2025

Henry Cejudo admits retirement is a very real possibility

After losing to Song Ya Dong, Henry Cejudo expected his eye to heal swiftly, allowing him to return to training ahead of another big fight.

Alas, things haven’t been quite as smooth-sailing as he’d have liked, with the 38-year-old confessing that his future in the sport isn’t looking good.

In an interview with MMA Junkie’s The Bohnfire Podcast, he explained: "I sound like a cry baby, but it's the worst injury I've had.

“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—— lose an eye. That's kind of how I'm feeling right now, to be quite honest with you.

"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. 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 sometime 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."

Henry Cejudo reveals the UFC opponent that left him feeling humiliated

In his UFC career, Cejudo has proven himself as a genuine legend of the sport, conquering two weight classes.

However, while the icon has compiled a fantastic resume, he’s not invincible.

On his journey, the athlete has faced adversity, with one loss in particular serving as a very bitter pill to swallow.

Now, Cejudo has opened up about the fighter who embarrassed him.