Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo, who also wore gold at 125 pounds, teases a return to mixed martial arts (MMA) in the same way most people tease diet and exercise to ring in the new year.
Nothing but empty promises.
But if and when “Triple C” does make his way back to the cage, the Olympic gold medalist is hoping to secure a 145-pound showdown opposite ex-featherweight kingpin Max Holloway, simply to prove he’s got the chops to overcome the challenge.
“I have never called out Max Holloway,” Cejudo told ESPN. “Even when he had the belt, I have never called him out. I feel like in the future, I would love to fight him. People would not believe me that I could beat him. He’s so damn tall and what he’s been able to do.”
Cejudo, 34, walked away from combat sports after crushing Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 back in May 2020. “Triple C” has received a few callouts of his own, but as of this writing, there appears to be nothing to indicate an urgency to return.
“I love that challenge,” Cejudo said about Holloway. “I love the fact people don’t think I could beat him. He’s taller than me and has inflicted more damage on different people, but I feel like I’m too smart and too skilled.”
But not too short.