Henry Cejudo is jumping on the opportunity to add a fourth “C” to his collection.
Following the news that an injury has forced Max Holloway out of his upcoming trilogy bout with featherweight champion Alexander Volkonovski at UFC 272, former two-division champion Henry Cejudo tagged UFC President Dana White in a tweet indicating that he is ready to come “to the rescue.”
Cejudo retired in May 2020 as one of the most decorated athletes in combat sports history following a second-round TKO win over Dominick Cruz. At the time, Cejudo successfully defended the UFC’s bantamweight title and also held the promotion’s flyweight title. Prior to becoming an MMA fighter, Cejudo had a wildly successful amateur wrestling career, winning a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, at the time the youngest American ever to achieve that feat.
This is not the first time that Cejudo has teased a comeback, nor is it the first time that he has proposed challenging Volkanovski for his belt. Following Volkanovski’s dramatic title defense against Brian Ortega at UFC 266 this past September, Cejudo renewed his plea to White to allow him to come back and challenge Volkanovski.
Cejudo isn’t alone in vying for the main event spot on the March 5 pay-per-view. Top featherweight contender Josh Emmett — No. 9 in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings — and the undefeated Bryce Mitchell also appeared to hint at offering their services to replace Holloway.
No. 8-ranked featherweight Giga Chikadze also appears to be volunteering to fight Volkanovski, though he is currently scheduled to headline UFC Vegas 46 opposite Calvin Kattar next Saturday.
