Henry Cejudo is eyeing a future matchup against Alexander Volkanovski at 145 pounds.
After failing to become a two-division UFC champion, Volkanovski will most likely be returning to the featherweight division. Before ‘The Great’ fought Islam Makhachev in the UFC 284 main event, Yair Rodriguez secured the interim 145-pound title against Josh Emmett in the co-main event. Rodriguez is now next up for a shot at the undisputed featherweight championship.
While Volkanovski takes on Rodriguez, Cejudo is keeping a close eye on the featherweight championship. During a video on his YouTube channel, ‘Triple C’ had this to say about a future matchup against Volkanovski:
“I will not be fighting Alexander Volkanovski at 155 pounds. Bring him down to 145 pounds. Bring him down to featherweight, and at the end of the day, guys, that’s my ultimate goal. I’m gonna win my belt [at bantamweight], defend my belt, and then I’m going straight to Alexander Volkanovski. That’s the deal I have with the UFC. That’s the deal I have with my manager. If everything goes straight, I will be fighting this dude in the near future.”
Things change quickly in MMA, but Cejudo’s plan is somewhat clear after his comments above. ‘Triple C’ is expected to fight Aljamain Sterling for the UFC bantamweight championship in his Octagon return. If the Olympic gold medalist wins, he would likely be matched up against number-one contender Sean O’Malley.
Cejudo plans to defend the 135-pound title once and then move to featherweight to win a UFC title in a third division.
They included the Volkanovski/Cejudo backstage interaction to the Thrill & Agony Sneak Peek. pic.twitter.com/rEHUmN3GnI
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) July 14, 2022
Watch Henry Cejudo discuss his interest in fighting Alexander Volkanovski below:
Henry Cejudo wants people to stop underestimating, reveals plans to become a three-division UFC champion
Henry Cejudo hasn’t fought since May 2020. Since then, there has been a massive influx of new MMA fans who might not understand how talented the former two-division UFC champion is. During the same YouTube video, Cejudo demanded respect and revealed his goals for the future by saying:
“What I’m trying to get to is, if size mattered, then the giraffe would be the king of the jungle, but it ain’t like that. So, what I’m saying is, stop counting me out. My speed, my wrestling, my experience, you guys will slowly start to see that triple C is the real deal, and my end goal is to become C4, to become a three-division champ in the UFC, to become the first.”
Cejudo retired after defeating Dominick Cruz at UFC 249. The 36-year-old vacated the UFC bantamweight championship, which is why he’s receiving an immediate title shot in his Octagon return. Although ‘Triple C’ has elite fighting skills and experience, the Olympic gold medalist must prove he’s still one of the best fighters on the planet after his time away.
