Alexander Volkanovski thinks it’s ridiculous that Henry Cejudo continues to call him out, but says he won’t mind making him pay for it.
Former dual-champ and current UFC bantamweight champion Cejudo (15-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) is on a quest to add another title to his collection and recently challenged “overblown midget” Volkanovski.
Since winning his first title at 125 pounds, Cejudo has taken a different route to his career, calling out big names and former champions. After his fight with Jose Aldo fell through, Cejudo on May 9 is projected to face Dominick Cruz – another former champion coming off of a loss.
And UFC featherweight champion Volkanovski (21-1 MMA, 8-0 UFC) seems to see through what Cejudo is doing and warns that if he decides to make the move up to 145 pounds, it will be a long night for him.
“It seems like he’s challenging everyone but his No. 1 contenders, so whatever,” Volkanovski told MMA Junkie. “Look: I think, good on him. If you’re calling me out, all right. But I still think he should be focusing on his division and his No. 1 contenders. It literally looks like he’s getting everyone but the No. 1 contenders, and that’s something that I find – I think that’s just embarrassing. I really do believe that.
“I think it is cringey, living up to his name when he’s doing them sorts of things. But again, I wouldn’t mind shutting his mouth up, to be quite honest. But right now, I’ve got a division that I want to hold. And again, he’s just trying to hold onto that bantamweight belt. So if he moves up, he knows I’ll kick his ass, but he’ll still get to hang onto that bantamweight belt a bit longer. If he’s going to be like that, I don’t think he deserves that chance. But you never know.”
All signs are pointing to a rematch between Volkanovski and former featherweight champ Max Holloway, but with the current landscape looking uncertain due to the coronavirus outbreak, Volkanovski is unsure when it will happen.
But even though Cejudo isn’t fully on Volkanovski’s radar, if the fight somehow came to fruition farther down the line, he said he’d be happy to face him.
“If he keeps running his mouth and no one else is ready for a fight, and that’s what fight’s in front of me, I think I’ll do the world a big favor by shutting him up.”
Alexander Volkanovski: 'Embarrassing' Henry Cejudo knows I'll kick his ass if he moves up