- TJ Dillashaw thinks Henry Cejudo will give Alexander Volkanovski some hard time inside the octagon
- The former 135-pound king said he always knew “Triple C” will be back
TJ Dillashaw has got his sights locked on a title fight against Aljamain Sterling. However, with Henry Cejudo possibly making his UFC return, the media can’t help but quiz the 36-year-old for comments.
Cejudo has included reigning featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in his plans. Ahead of the potential fight, Dillashaw shared his bold yet logical prediction.
Cejudo a headache for Volk?
It can be recalled that Dillashaw had first-hand experience of going toe-to-toe with Cejudo, who ended up getting the better of him in 2019. Based on his assessment, he’s not certain that “Triple C” will beat Volkanovski but Cejudo’s “distance control” and ground game could be a problem for the champ.
“Cejudo’s got good distance control,” Dillashaw told Submission Radio. “I mean obviously the wrestling and just the speed right. I think Volkanovski, he packs a punch but he’s a lot faster than 45ers. His stature is just a little bit different. He’s like a little ball of muscle. And I feel like Cejudo is just as fast as him and can get to those scrambles with him. And actually think that grappling would actually slow Volkanovski down and Cejudo’s distance control. I thinks stylistically, it’s a close fight. I’m not saying that Cejudo goes in there and wins but I think he would give Volkanovski a tough matchup.”
Things didn’t work out well for “Triple C”
For some, Cejudo generated quite a buzz when he decided to make a comeback. But for Dillashaw, he always knew that his former foe will make a return as he was only trying to make himself more valuable. However, Dillashaw reckoned that Cejudo failed to achieve it and now he’s back.
“I figured so man, I mean when he retired, I think it was kind of a ploy to try to get him to get paid more,” Dillashaw said of Cejudo’s return. “That he was worth more than he was. But the UFC was like ‘we don’t give a sh*t.’ No one likes him. Leave anyways. You know what I mean. I eventually knew he was gonna come back. And he’s a competitor. He was a gold medalist and world champion in the UFC, he’s got that competition in his blood and he feels like he quit a little early. Like I said, it was something to try and get paid more and it didn’t really work out for him so he’s back.”
Aside from Cejudo’s return, Dillashaw also addressed the issue with Dominick Cruz‘s negative comment about him possibly competing for the title next.
Nothing is concrete at the moment, but UFC president Dana White said he has already drawn up a plan for Dillashaw.
