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Henry Cejudo recently shared his thoughts on Islam Makhachev's decision to relinquish his UFC lightweight strap in pursuit of welterweight gold. Cejudo believes Makhachev made the wrong decision and highlighted the significance of what he could have possibly achieved.
UFC CEO Dana White announced that Makhachev vacated his lightweight gold to challenge newly minted welterweight kingpin Jack Della Maddalena. This move signals the end of Makhachev's run at 155-pounds, and also makes him ineligible for pay-per-view points as he will no longer be a champion when he fights Della Maddalena.
In the latest episode of his Pound 4 Pound podcast, Cejudo explained why he told Makhachev's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, that giving up the title wasn't the correct decision. 'Triple C' mentioned that the Dagestani had an opportunity to hold two UFC championships simultaneously, which is a feat that only three other men have achieved.
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"I don't think Islam should relinquish that belt because there's only been three male athletes in UFC history that held belts simultaneously. Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier [and I] was the third. [Makhachev], he's a friend of mine."
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Cejudo added:
"I've always been real with you. There's something special about saying that your simultaneous becuase there's only been three males in UFC history out of the nine double champs... Win that belt and take that beautiful picture with two belts."
Check out Henry Cejudo's comments regarding Islam Makhachev below:
How many times did Islam Makhachev successfully retain his UFC lightweight championship?
Islam Makhachev had a record-setting reign as the UFC lightweight champion, which saw him successfully defend his title four times. After submitting Charles Oliveira to capture the vacant lightweight championship, Makhachev went on to defeat Alexander Volkanovski (2), Dustin Poirier, and Renato Moicano.
With Makhachev's record-setting reign in mind, it is understandable why many in the MMA community were surprised that he either willingly or was asked to relinquish his title to receive an immediate welterweight title shot.
Check out Islam Makhachev's post-fight interview following latest lightweight title defense below:
