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Former two division UFC champion Henry Cejudo is expected to face UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling for the gold this April at UFC 287.
The former champion just saw UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev defeat UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284, but Cejudo believes he’d be a tougher challenge for Volkanovski than Makhachev was.
“Sometimes people will overhype something, and I’m guilty of it, too,” Cejudo said on his Youtube channel (transcript via Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie). “Guess what, Alexander? I wasn’t giving you a chance with Islam Makhachev. Why? Because I just thought he was bigger, and too much of that wrestler would probably overwhelm you. I am man enough to say, ‘Hey, Alexander Volkanovski’s a lot better than I thought he was defensively.’
“OK, he defended a couple takedowns, but guess what? Islam’s not an Olympic champion. Guess what? Islam doesn’t have my striking. Guess what? He’s not faster than me. Guess what? Yeah, he is bigger than me, but I’m a smaller target. It’s the same reason why people are super problematic with Alexander Volkanovski. He’s short, he’s fun size.”
If Cejudo ever did challenge and defeat Volkanovski for the featherweight gold, it would make him the first fighter in UFC history to win three titles in three different weight classes.
