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Henry Cejudo has made it clear he’d gladly return for a bout with UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. Over a year has passed since Cejudo retired and now, the idea of Cejudo challenging Volkanovski doesn’t seem so far-fetched.
For months, Volkanovski has dismissed the idea of Cejudo cutting the line and immediately challenging for the featherweight championship. Volkanovski said that if Cejudo was truly serious about moving to featherweight, he should fight a top-ranked contender first. If Cejudo fought a top-ranked featherweight, UFC management could identify how he fares at 145lbs against fighters that cut a significant amount of weight.
Initially, UFC president Dana White is opposed to booking a potential Volkanovski vs. Cejudo fight. To an extent, it’s understandable why White may’ve been against Cejudo coming out of retirement and earning a title shot.
Should Cejudo win the title and immediately retire again, it would put the featherweight division on hold. White may also point to Georges St-Pierre as the reason for not awarding a retired fighter a title shot. St-Pierre defeated Michael Bisping to become the new middleweight champion at UFC 217 and then vacated the title shortly after.
This list will look at 5 reasons why the UFC should book Alexander Volkanovski vs. Henry Cejudo.
#5. UFC Schedule
Timing is everything in the UFC and now is a great time to book a fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Henry Cejudo. Volkanovski is coming off another successful title defense that saw him defeat Brian Ortega by unanimous decision.
It seems like White might’ve warmed up to the idea of Volkanovski-Cejudo as he entertained the idea. White was asked about the potential bout during a press-conference and didn’t completely shoot it down like he’s done before.
Volkanovski expressed his desire to remain active as he’d prefer not to have a lengthy layoff before his next title defense. Volkanovski’s next title defense is believed to be against the winner of the upcoming Max Holloway vs. Yair Rodriguez bout. However, depending on how much damage those fighters absorb, Volkanovski could be waiting 4-5 months.
With Holloway-Rodriguez taking place next month, Volkanovski could remain active and, in the meantime, defend his title against Cejudo. The UFC could book Volkanovski-Cejudo for early 2022 and still award the winner of Holloway-Rodriguez a title shot.
#4. Henry Cejudo's success in multiple weight classes
It’s understandable why UFC president Dana White would be hesitant to give Henry Cejudo a title shot against Alexander Volkanovski. However, Cejudo’s track record as a UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion should be taken into consideration.
Cejudo pulled off a huge upset when he defeated Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson by split decision at UFC 227. In doing so, Cejudo became the new UFC flyweight champion and the first Olympic gold medalist to win a UFC championship.
At the time, there were rumors that the UFC were looking at doing away with the flyweight division. Cejudo later defended his title against then-UFC bantamweight champion Dillashaw in dominant fashion. Cejudo defeated Dillashaw by TKO in 32 seconds to earn his first successful title defense.
As a result, Cejudo earned a shot at the vacant UFC bantamweight championship, taking on Marlon Moraes. Cejudo once again beat the odds and defeated Moraes by third-round TKO to become a two-division UFC champion.
At UFC 249, Cejudo successfully defended the bantamweight championship by defeating Dominick Cruz via second-round TKO. Cejudo’s track record as a UFC champion is a great example of why the UFC should book Volkanovski-Cejudo.
Cejudo defended both the UFC flyweight and bantamweight championships at least once after winning them. So, there’s a good chance he’d do the same if he were to become featherweight champion.
#3. Alexander Volkanovski's success in the UFC featherweight division
Alexander Volkanovski has become one of the greatest featherweight fighters of all time. ‘The Great’ is currently on a 20-fight streak that includes all 10 of his UFC bouts. Volkanovski overcame adversity in his most recent win over Brian Ortega, which saw him narrowly escape two submissions. It was an excellent performance by Volkanovski, who made a statement that it won’t be easy to take his title.
During his UFC career, Volkanovski has climbed the featherweight and pound-for-pound rankings. Some of Volkanovski’s most notable wins include Chad Mendes, Jose Aldo, Max Holloway twice, and Brian Ortega.
Volkanovski’s run at featherweight is another reason why the UFC should book the fight between him and Cejudo. Since Volkanovski recently defeated Holloway twice, it would make sense to put a trilogy bout on hold. Both Volkanovski and Holloway could compete against other top contenders and meet in a trilogy bout at a later date.
With Holloway and Rodriguez in the title mix, it wouldn’t be a bad idea booking Volkanovski vs. Cejudo. The promotion going with Volkanovski-Cejudo would allow more time for another top contender to emerge in the division.
#2. The UFC could promote Henry Cejudo’s quest for a third championship
Another reason the UFC should book Volkanovski-Cejudo is so they can document Cejudo’s quest for a third UFC championship. Cejudo’s athletic background as an Olympic gold medalist in wrestling would make winning a third UFC championship even more impressive. The UFC has done an excellent job documenting upcoming fights and could have a great story with Cejudo.
Cejudo attempting something that hasn’t been done before in the UFC would be remarkable. Fans could get a behind-the-scenes look into Cejudo’s preparation for a featherweight championship bout. By documenting Cejudo and Volkanovski ahead of their big fight, it may attract more attention to the fight itself.
The UFC-produced preview series that promotes upcoming events has been very successful for the promotion. It would be interesting to see whether Cejudo or Volkanovski were to become much bigger stars as a result. The UFC may also find that more fans would order the pay-per-view because they’d want to witness UFC history.
#1. Legacy
The top reason why the UFC should book Volkanovski vs. Cejudo is the impact on their respective legacies. For Volkanovski, successfully retaining his title against Cejudo could be another champion on his resume. Since Volkanovski has already defeated Holloway twice, he may want to defend his title against other top fighters.
If Volkanovski continues retaining his title, it’d be hard to deny that he’s in the conversation for greatest featherweight of all-time. Volkanovski is in the mix with the likes of Aldo, Holloway, and McGregor, but a long reign would separate him.
On the flip-side, defeating Volkanovski would be significant to Cejudo’s legacy. No matter how many times UFC president Dan White counted him out, Cejudo always found a way to win. There’s no denying that Cejudo will eventually be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. However, he could now accomplish something that would be very difficult to replicate.
By winning the UFC featherweight championship, Cejudo would have won an Olympic gold medal and the UFC flyweight, bantamweight, and featherweight championships. Cejudo’s accolades would make him arguably the greatest combat athlete of all time.
Both Volkanovski and Cejudo fighting for their legacy in the sport would make for a can’t miss event.
