Henry Cejudo eyes making history upon UFC return, puts Alexander Volkanovski on notice
Henry Cejudo revealed some of the goals he hopes to achieve as he prepares to return to the octagon at UFC 288. It was announced that he will be challenging Aljamain Sterling for the bantamweight championship at the event on May 6, but that's not the only title on his mind.
In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Cejudo opened up about his decision to retire in 2020 and if he regretted anything about the way he walked away from the sport.
The 36-year-old mentioned that he had no regrets and that he is focused on making history in the UFC and in doing so, he put Alexander Volkanovski on notice.
He said:
"For me, my overall goal is to win another title. To do something that nobody has ever done, which I already felt like I've done and I've already done in sports. But literally to just break my own record, you know, to become a three-division champ in the UFC." [7:45 - 8:03]
'Triple C' is a former bantamweight and flyweight champion, so winning the featherweight championship would be a historic achievement. He believes that he matches up well with 'Volk' should they meet in the octagon in the future, saying:
"Styles make fights and I do believe I'd be extremely problematic for him and I do believe that I could stop him. So my end goal is to go up to 145lbs and eventually become the first three-division champ in UFC history." [8:12 - 8:28]
Cejudo will have the opportunity to become a two-time bantamweight champion when he challenges Sterling at UFC 288. It will be interesting to see whether he can regain the title that he never lost.
Check out the full video:
Henry Cejudo last fought at UFC 249
“Triple C’s out. You guys don’t have to hear my ass no more.”
Henry Cejudo announces he’s retiring after defending the belt. #UFC249 https://t.co/I2aCWgjlEY
UFC 288 will mark the first time since UFC 249 that Henry Cejudo has competed in the octagon. The event took place in 2020, which happened to be under unique circumstances as it was the first event during the global pandemic.
'Triple C' was originally scheduled to defend his bantamweight championship against Jose Aldo, but the former featherweight champion was forced to withdraw from the event due to travel restrictions. As a result, former bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz stepped in as his replacement.
The former Olympic gold medalist managed to time Cruz's movements well and defeated the former bantamweight king via second-round TKO to retain his title. After the bout, Cejudo announced his retirement and transitioned to a coaching role.