Morning Report: Henry Cejudo says Alexander Volkanovski ‘100 percent’ the featherweight GOAT with UFC 290 win

Morning Report: Henry Cejudo Declares Alexander Volkanovski the Featherweight GOAT with Victory at UFC 290

Alexander Volkanovski has been dominating the featherweight division.

This Saturday in Las Vegas, Volkanovski, also known as “The Great,” will headline UFC 290 as the undisputed champion. After a failed lightweight title attempt in February, Volkanovski returns to the division where he has made a name for himself. His opponent will be the interim title holder from Mexico, Yair Rodriguez, who is currently on an impressive winning streak. While Volkanovski’s loss in the lightweight division disrupted the possibility of becoming a double champion, it didn’t affect his featherweight title reign. One fighter who had been hoping for a shot at Volkanovski this year was the former flyweight and bantamweight champion, Henry Cejudo. Cejudo had frequently referred to Volkanovski as “The Average” and aimed to take a third divisional title from him upon returning from retirement. However, Cejudo’s plans were derailed by a split decision loss to the current bantamweight king, Aljamain Sterling, in May.

Now, Cejudo is singing Volkanovski’s praises and believes that a victory against Rodriguez can elevate the Australian fighter to a whole new level. Cejudo expressed his thoughts on his YouTube channel, stating, “Where does a win like this put Alexander Volkanovski? What would you rank him? Would he eventually surpass a guy like Jose Aldo? My answer, guys, is 100 percent.”

Aldo has long been regarded as the featherweight division’s greatest of all time by fans, fighters, and pundits in the MMA community. To earn his shot at the title, Volkanovski had to defeat Aldo in enemy territory, which he accomplished with a unanimous decision victory. Currently, Volkanovski has defeated every other 145-pound UFC champion except for Conor McGregor.

Volkanovski has demonstrated his ambition to achieve greatness, as evidenced by his fight with lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. Despite losing by unanimous decision, Volkanovski’s performance garnered significant support, allowing him to retain his top spot in the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings.

Volkanovski still hopes for a rematch with Makhachev in the near future to make up for their initial encounter. Apart from one notable name in the featherweight division, Cejudo and many others don’t see many significant challenges remaining for Volkanovski. Cejudo mentioned Ilia Topuria as a potential opponent but questioned whether Topuria is prepared to face an experienced fighter like Volkanovski, given the height and speed differences between them.

Cejudo concluded by stating that if Volkanovski overcomes Rodriguez, he should face Topuria before moving up to the lightweight division for another title shot.

In other news, Conor McGregor’s potential return to the UFC is still uncertain as he has not re-entered the UFC anti-doping program. Nate Diaz responded to critics who claimed he has brain damage from fighting, and Robbie Lawler revealed the fears he had in making the decision to retire.

That’s all for this edition of the Morning Report. Thank you for reading, and have a great day!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about featherweight GOAT

More about featherweight GOAT

• Alexander Volkanovski – UFC Profile
• Henry Cejudo – UFC Profile
• Jose Aldo – UFC Profile
• UFC 290 Official Event Page
• Ilia Topuria – UFC Profile
• Islam Makhachev – UFC Profile