Song Yadong not only had to deal with a nasty cut in his fight with Cory Sandhagen, but he fought with a fractured orbital, too.
Yadong (19-7-1 MMA, 8-2-1 UFC), who suffered a fourth-round doctor’s stoppage TKO loss to Sandhagen at UFC Fight Night 210 earlier this month, had his night ended early when a gruesome gash around his left eye caused the bout to be waved off.
Going into the fifth round, two judges had the bantamweight main event even on the scorecards, while another had Sandhagen winning 3-1. It was the right call for Yadong’s safety to halt the action, and that decision looks even wiser in hindsight.
Yadong revealed Tuesday that he suffered a fractured orbital in the fight, as well, and it badly compromised his vision. He will undergo surgery next week to repair the damage and is already keen to return to the octagon (via Twitter):
Since round 2, I was seeing triple vision because of this orbital fracture, I was facing three Cory in front of me. A titanium piece will put in for me next week, will come back tougher with the metal👊 pic.twitter.com/WVKZry3Vcl
— Song Yadong (@SongYadongLFG) September 28, 2022
Since round 2, I was seeing triple vision because of this orbital fracture, I was facing three Cory in front of me. A titanium piece will put in for me next week, will come back tougher with the metal👊
At 24, Yadong appears to have a very bright future in the loaded 135-pound division. Orbital injuries that require surgery are a serious matter, though, and it remains to be seen how long it will take for the Team Alpha Male product to rebound from the injury.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 210.
