Three things we learned from UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Song

Find out the biggest takeaways from Saturday's UFC Seattle event, the promotion's first card in the Pacific Northwest in over a decade.

Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

UFC Seattle is freshly in the books, and before a bow can be put on the 12-fight card, there are still elements of the event worth reviewing to see where some of the winners and losers are headed moving forward.

In total, eight of 12 fights resulted in a finish. The first seven of those came during the event's preliminary portion, which UFC CEO Dana White dubbed a "curse." In other words, if the prelims deliver exciting finishes, the main card tends to be a downer – at least so far this year.

The Seattle main card was the furthest from that, even with a strange ending to the five-round main event between former two-division champion Henry Cejudo and Top 10 contender Song Yadong.

Song Yadong after his main event fight with Henry Cejudo at UFC Seattle. / (Zuffa LLC)

Without further ado, here are three things to remember about UFC Seattle before returning to the APEX next weekend to begin March.

Bizarre sequence in Henry Cejudo vs. Song Yadong gives UFC Seattle an awkward ending

1. Give Song Yadong Whoever He Wants Next

Song Yadong fights Henry Cejudo in a bantamweight bout during a UFC Fight Night at Climate Pledge Arena. / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Even with the way the fight against Cejudo ended, Yadong has proven to be worthy of remaining in the upper-echelon of the UFC bantamweight division.

His striking looked on-point, specifically his leg-kicking to take away Cejudo's potent wrestling base. Although he didn't get a highlight-reel finish or "retire" Cejudo as he proclaimed he would before the fight, he deserves some pull after beating the most prominent name he has fought thus far in the UFC, much less his MMA career.

“So, my goal is to be world champion, so whatever these guys give me, my goal is to fight a guy who is ranked above me, if not Henry, [Sean] O’Malley. Give me O’Malley, I can fight any time,” Yadong told reporters at the post-fight presser.

Now, it's up to the UFC to deliver on said request. Yadong (22-8 MMA, 11-3-1 UFC) has won two of his last three fights, extending Cejudo's losing skid to three. Cejudo (16-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) is interested in a rematch against Yadong, although other plans might be in the works for both.

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2. More UFC Events Outside UFC APEX, The Better

Henry Cejudo fights Song Yadong at UFC Seattle. / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Climate Pledge Arena was treated to stellar card from top to bottom. White even admitted how much he "forgot" what it was like to be in Seattle, much less the West Coast portion of the country not named Las Vegas, Arizona, or California.

The more the UFC can go on the road for Fight Night events, the better. The proof is in the pudding, especially when the live gate, plus attendance totals, are factored in.

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With 42 events per year, seeing cities the UFC usually doesn't tend to flock to (Seattle, Des Moines in May), is only a sign the COVID era is *almost* over despite the UFC APEX's ease of utilization for the majority of Fight Night events.

Either way, it's clear the promotion has heard the fans and are going to continue to hit new locations (or older ones with a shorter shelf life) more often.

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3. Henry Cejudo is at a Crossroads

Henry Cejudo is introduced prior to fighting Song at UFC Seattle. / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Cejudo's loss to Yadong put a huge damper on his highly-anticipated return to action. The former champion and Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medalist is going to have to sit with the loss for quite a bit.

However, Cejudo did admit after the fight he can still compete with the best in the world, regardless of division.

Still, though, Cejudo wants to finish the story with Yadong, regardless of White's potential discontent.

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A post shared by Henry Cejudo (@henry_cejudo)

"I will say this. Dana White. I know you said you’re not interested in the rematch; let’s run it back," a portion of Cejudo's post read. "There were still two rounds left, dude, the pace was picking up, he was hurt, I was hurt, dude, and we were scrapping. I think we should run it back.

“Dana, I respect you I hope we can run this back with Song, and let’s do it soon… I think we should run it back."

There are no guarantees in life, much less MMA. White usually holds firm, so Cejudo shouldn't bank on a rematch unless extra convincing is done.

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