Henry Sejude still feels the impact of his battle with Uta Yadon on February 22nd. The UFC Fight Night main event came to a disappointing conclusion after Sejude caught his eye. Five weeks later, Cejudo’s eye troubles changed his perception of the dangers of mixed martial arts.
“I didn’t think the sport of mixed martial arts was a kind of danger,” Sejude told MMA Junkie on Tuesday. “I’ve been talking to my wife and I think this could be my last fight, just one more.
“I want to be able to play with my kids. I want to be unable to lose my eyes. That’s like I feel right now to be very honest with you.”
Sejude, 38, began wrestling at the age of 11. He won the Olympic gold medal before embarking on a 12-year MMA career. He considers recent eye injuries the worst he has suffered.
“I sound like a crybaby, but that’s the worst injury I’ve had,” Sejudo said. “It was a little pinky that went inside, and I’m not 100% yet, so the doctor said it looked like it was another month. Korean zombies have the same symptoms and that’s why he had to retire. I’m watching the double.
“Fortunately, it was only when I lie down or look down, but it took me five days to stop looking double when I was injured.
Eye thrusts occurred in the third round of their battle. Sejude recovered to recover the allocated five minutes before fighting until the end of the round. Ironically, Sejude’s toughness cost him the fight. If the game had stopped after his eyes were thrust into him, he would have been dominated as if the match had not stopped. However, by restarting and completing round three, the fight instead came to a technical decision.
Eye hair continues to be a major issue with MMA. The UFC unveiled the new gloves in April 2024 and returned to the old design later that year, but neither of them were visible.
The referee often hesitates to deduct points even if the fighter commits multiple fouls. Cejudo had certain issues with not punishing Judge Jason Herzog for the song. Cejudo claimed that fighters were informed that it was illegal to have their fingers reaching towards the opponent’s face. Herzog appeared on Cejudo’s podcast last month, and the judge accepted criticism of his generosity.
“I got an f–Ed,” Sejude said. “I wanted to fight. I just wanted to fight the f – I had two eyes.”
“If I could run it back with a song, I would be happy with it. But if it wasn’t a song, I would like someone the UFC would be happy to give to me.”
