Henry Cejudo feels like Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski is not hyped enough
UFC champion Henry Cejudo believes that the upcoming super fight between Islam Makahchev and Alexander Volkanovski is not receiving the media recognition it deserves, given the intensity of the matchup.
The highly-anticipated UFC 284 championship bout between reigning lightweight champion Islam Makahchev and featherweight champion and pound-for-pound king Alexander Volkanovski is all set to take place on February 12, 2023, at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.
Islam Makhachev will be defending his lightweight title for the first time in the headlining match of the upcoming event. This will also be the debut of 'The Great' into the lightweight division after dominating the featherweight division in the promotion.
Henry Cejudo recently appeared in a video to hype up the upcoming lightweight championship fight. Cejudo expressed his excitement for the fight and urged media outlets to give it the attention it deserves. Cejudo spoke highly of the fighters and stated that the fight is one of the most important ones in recent history for the UFC.
Tweeting the video on his official Twitter handle, the former two-division champ said:
"So Volkanovski vs. Makahchev is not getting the attention it deserves. This is a super fight. This isn't just a fight, where you are going to get, yo know, a guy who has fought somebody for the fourth time or... You are getting a guy who is [no.1] pound-for-pound against a guy who is no. 2 pound-for-pound. And why is it not getting that media buzz as it should? "
Speaking further, Cejudo said:
"This is a clash of styles. This is a guy [Volkanovski] who's been able to beat everybody [at] 145 pounds and do it very viciously. This is a guy [Makahchev] at 155lbs that they call the second coming of Khabib. And he has been able to fit into those shoes and eventually become pound-for-pound."
Check out Henry Cejudo's tweet below:
Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski deserves WAY more HYPE!
This is the No. 1 vs No. 2 pound-for-pound in the sport. The man they call the next Khabib vs the greatest 145er in history. This SUPERFIGHT deserves your attention! #UFC284 🔥🔥🔥
FULL 📽️: youtu.be/zsy1Oqm0l3c https://t.co/0vRQ45FStR
Henry Cejudo claims Francis Ngannou's Punching Power could be a double-edged sword for the heavyweight
Francis Ngannou was last seen in action at UFC 270, where he defended his UFC heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane in a five-round brawl. The former heavyweight champion recently severed ties with the promotion after failing to reach an agreement on a new contract, handing over his championship belt in the process.
In a recent YouTube video, Henry Cejudo reflected on 'The Predator's fight at UFC 270 and praised the Cameroonian fighter for his punching power.
Cejudo said:
"Francis Ngannou has power! And he's been able to use his threshold accordingly, when he's been able to knock people the hell out. Literally, like make them go limpo, like make them go to another planet."
However, 'Triple C' believes that this power may be both a 'gift' and a 'curse' for Ngannou. Cejudo went on to explain his point of view, saying:
"I got to give credit where credit is due, even though I feel like this [his punching power] is his greatest gift, but also his worst gift too, because - he lives by the sword, he knocks you out or he could get potentially stopped. We saw that in the [first] fight that he had with Stipe [Miocic] - the one's that he did lose, [where he was] completely losing his energy."
Check out Henry Cejudo's breakdown [starting at 14:13 mark]: