"Jason Herzog blew this one" - Referee gets blasted for "disastrous handling" of UFC Seattle headliner after eye poke affects Henry Cejudo's vision

Referee Jason Herzog has seemingly found himself on the receiving end of considerable criticism for his officiating of the Henry Cejudo vs. Song Yadong showdown that headlined UFC Seattle. Several netizens lambasted Herzog, suggesting that he could've done a better job at handling Cejudo's eye poke situation.

The UFC Seattle event went down at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A., on Feb. 22, 2025. Former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion Cejudo faced Yadong in a highly anticipated bantamweight bout, which headlined the UFC Seattle card.

The fight ended in a unanimous technical decision win for Yadong after three rounds of action, as Cejudo complained that he couldn't see following an eye-poke by Yadong.

Fans soon chimed in, with many lambasting Herzog. Some insinuated that his reluctance and confusion worsened an already chaotic situation. Others implied that he'd massively blundered despite being an experienced referee. An X user wrote:

"Jason Herzog blew this one. He's typically a very good referee but that eye poke at least deserved a point deduction. Of course, it didn't happen. #UFCSeattle"

Another commenter asserted:

"Jason Herzog needs a lesson of UFC rules. And no way this is the f**king doctor."

One fan opined that Herzog was wrong in telling Henry Cejudo's corner to start round four so the fight would end on the scorecards rather than possibly being ruled a DQ (Disqualification). An excerpt from the fan's post read:

"f**k Jason Herzog, he must've bet his entire house on Song."

Another fan similarly implied that Herzog unfairly attempted to influence the fight's outcome. A netizen wrote:

"Jason Herzog artificially manufacturing the rounds so it goes to the scorecards should be illegal!!!! What the f**k!!!! #UFC #UFCSeattle @JasonHerzogMMA"

One observer wrote:

"This was truly a disastrous handling of things by Jason Herzog and Cejudo should've never restarted the fight. Then he'd get a NC instead of a loss."

Check out the screenshots of a few reactions below:

Screenshots of reactions

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Referee Jason Herzog previously hit back at allegations of early stoppages

During round three of the recently concluded UFC Seattle headliner, Song Yadong eye-poked Henry Cejudo, seemingly both his eyes. Referee Herzog was urged by Cejudo to take a point from Yadong. Herzog gave Cejudo a timeout to shake off the poke's effects and later restarted the fight, letting them complete the third round.

Between rounds three and four, 'Triple C' told the doctor he couldn't see. The doctor advised Herzog to wave the fight off. Per Sherdog, Herzog has officiated 1,098 MMA bouts thus far.

He has previously faced criticism for his refereeing, notably for an allegedly early stoppage in the Nassourdine Imavov vs. Jared Cannonier middleweight bout in 2024. Furthermore, Herzog also officiated three bouts on the UFC 311 pay-per-view (PPV) in January 2025.

Incidentally, speaking of the UFC 311 event, an X user reaffirmed some fans' belief that Herzog supposedly tends to stop fights prematurely. Herzog hit back at the netizen with an X post that read:

"It's just you."