Forgive Alexander Volkanovski if he’s not overly excited, because he’s heard this one before.
In the aftermath of Volkanovski’s (23-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC) unanimous decision win over Brian Ortega (15-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) to defend the featherweight title in the UFC 266 headliner, he found himself on the receiving end of yet another callout from Henry Cejudo.
Cejudo (16-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC), an Olympic gold medalist in wrestling and a former two-division UFC champion, is retired from MMA competition. However, he’s said in the past he would be willing to come back for the right fight and right payday. It’s clear Cejudo thinks Volkanovski would tick all the boxes for him, because it would present an opportunity to be the first in UFC history to claim titles in three separate weight classes (via Twitter, Instagram):
@danawhite im gonna take Alexander the Average’s soul #ufc266
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) September 26, 2021
@danawhite im gonna take Alexander the Average’s soul #ufc266
How can you denied what I’ve done not only in mma but combat sports. Hate the cringe but as much as I talk, my resumes speaks louder than my words! You are a perfect matchup for me you overgrown midget. Can you handle my speed and my Olympic pedigree of wrestling along with I.Q years of experience in competition in two sports. This is the only fight that really matters to me. You said you’d never doubt me @danawhite put your money where your mouth is and allow me to become the first 3 division champion in UFC history. I know you don’t want to fight me @alexvolkanovski because you don’t want to lose to someone slightly taller than you. You can come try to kill the Cringe but one thing is for sure, “I will sacrifice you in front of 60,000 Ozzy‘s.” 🖊 📄 🏆🏆🏆+🏆 =C4
Volkanovski has been asked about fighting Cejudo many times for the better part of two years. He’s always welcomed the challenge, even if the matchup wasn’t particularly logical at a given time.
At this stage, Volkanovski is hard pressed to give Cejudo the time of day. The fight has been teased so many times, but Cejudo has remained idle in retirement since he hung up the gloves in May 2020.
Volkanovski doesn’t see that changing anytime soon, but if it does, he’s the man with the gold.
“F*ck Henry Cejudo,” Volkanovski told reporters at the UFC 266 post-fight news conference. “He’s called out everyone. He’s called out females. You actually believe the sh*t that comes out of his mouth? Nah. I’ll squash the little germ.”