It didn’t take Henry Cejudo long to consider adding a third division title to his UFC résumé, recently stating that should Frankie Edgar defeat Max Holloway at UFC 240 that moving up to 145 to challenge for the title would be a real possibility. Current #1 contender Alexander Volkanovski was made aware of these comments by the new double champion in the UFC and was swift to issue a warning to Cejudo (Transcript via MMA Fighting):
“Stay in your lane, Henry. Come on mate,” Volkanovski warned in an appearance on Submission Radio.
Alexander Volkanovski has nothing but respect for what Henry Cejudo was able to accomplish when he defeated Marlon Moraes at UFC 238, becoming a dual champion by winning the UFC bantamweight championship. But should Henry Cejudo ever decide to move up to 145, he would be in for a very rude awakening, says Volkanovski:
“Honestly, what he’s done is unbelievable. It was good on him,” Volkanovski said. “I actually picked him to win. I didn’t expect him to have so many problems earlier. I knew the guy was powerful. Maybe the ankle was why was he was sort of cowering to the kicks a little bit, if you know what I mean. . . So for him to overcome that and get it done, good on him. Him coming to 145, you gotta be quick in this division, but we’re still quick and we’re just a whole another powerful type of beast. And we’re a stacked division, a lot of very tough guys in our division that I don’t think he’ll want any of that. But maybe he’ll give it a crack, maybe UFC will let him do it. But yeah, that will change quick.”
As for how the two would match up specifically should the two ever meet, Volkanovski struggles to find a path to victory for Cejudo in a bout at 145:
“Well, he ain’t gonna take me down,” Volkanovski said of Cejudo. “And if he does, I’m getting back up. And again, I got the cardio, and then again, I’m just gonna be too powerful. And again, I’m good on the outside. He’s gonna be a lot shorter than me. You see what I can use in my range, even with tall people, imagine what I could do to someone half my size. That will be interesting. But look man, again, he’s an athlete, he really is, he’s explosive, he still would be dangerous and quick, but at the same time, I just think he’ll have a puncher’s chance. But him being that light, I don’t think that’s likely.”
Who do you believe would win a hypothetical matchup between Henry Cejudo and Alexander Volkanovski?
