"He got rid of a guy like Michael Chandler in a minute-and-a-half" - Henry Cejudo predicts how a cross-promotion fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Patricio Pitbull will go

Henry Cejudo has weighed in on a potential cross-promotion fight between UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and Bellator featherweight champion Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire. Speaking on The Triple C & Schmo Show, Cejudo addressed the Volkanovski-Freire dream matchup.

Cejudo praised Patricio Freire for knocking out most of his opponents and insinuated that 'Pitbull' possesses a power advantage over 'Volk'. Additionally, 'Triple C' also lauded Freire for his longevity as an elite featherweight. He asserted that Freire has been "that guy" at 145 pounds for several years.

The former two-division UFC champion opined that there's something about featherweight that makes it a special and competitive weight class. Cejudo expressed his respect for the UFC's No.1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter Alexander Volkanovski as well.

Nevertheless, he indicated that Freire's likely better than both Volkanovski and former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway. Furthermore, he pointed out that back in 2019, when current UFC lightweight elite Michael Chandler competed in Bellator MMA, 'Pitbull' beat him via first-round TKO in just 61 seconds to win the Bellator lightweight title:

"I just think Patricio's IQ, his power in his hands, the fact that he could wrestle – I mean, he's a real mixed martial artist. I think people need to really pay him respect, even though he's not part of the UFC. I mean, he got rid of a guy like Michael Chandler in a minute-and-a-half."

Cejudo further added:

"A real guy [Chandler] that's a top guy in the world at a 155 pounds, this dude [Freire] got rid of him in a minute-and-a-half, which is crazy. Yeah, but would Max Holloway or would Alexander Volkanovski do that to somebody like Michael Chandler?"

Watch Cejudo discuss the topic at 4:25 in the video below:

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Is an Alexander Volkanovski UFC lightweight title shot likelier than a dream fight against Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire?

Patricio Freire's most recent fight witnessed him defend his Bellator featherweight title by defeating Adam Borics via unanimous decision at Bellator 286 on October 1. Meanwhile, Alexander Volkanovski's last fight saw him defend his UFC featherweight title by besting Max Holloway via unanimous decision in their trilogy at UFC 276 on July 2.

'Pitbull' has consistently called out Alexander Volkanovski for a Bellator-UFC cross-promotion fight since 2020. Regardless, the consensus is that the dream matchup won't materialize as the UFC doesn't collaborate with other MMA organizations.

Presently, Charles Oliveira is scheduled to face Islam Makhachev for the vacant UFC lightweight title at UFC 280 on October 22. Speaking of which, it's believed that Volkanovski will likely pursue the UFC lightweight title and could fight the Oliveira-Makhachev matchup's winner for the belt early next year.