Henry Cejudo warns Alexander Volkanovski against fighting for Islam Makhachev's title in February at UFC Perth– "You're gonna need a lot more than four months"
Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is looking to challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title following the latter's UFC 280 victory over Charles Oliveira. Former double champ Henry Cejudo shared why he believes Volkanovski shouldn't rush the fight.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Cejudo discussed Volkanovski's plans to pursue double champ status:
"With a guy like Islam...that's going to bring that pressure... A taller guy, a stronger guy that has the ability of taking your hits and still moving forward... He's gonna take you [Volkanovski] down, he's gonna smother you."
Cejudo added:
"I don't know why they're doing Australia in February. So damn early, but what you're gonna need, Alexander - I know you have skills, but going up against a guy like this, you're gonna need a lot more than four months. You're gonna need the right training partners and the right coaches."
Cejudo continued by noting that Volkanovski will need to add people to his fight camp to help him prepare for Makhachev. He noted that fighting someone like Makhachev requires an expert that specializes in the Dagestani style of fighting.
Watch Henry Cejudo's full preview of the potential lightweight title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev below:
Islam Makhachev's coach previously shared his thoughts on potential Alexander Volkanovski fight
Alexander Volkanovski is currently the featherweight champion and the UFC's No.1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter. He is looking to chase history by becoming the fifth UFC fighter to become a double champ.
Javier Mendez, who coaches his potential next opponent, Islam Makhachev, previously shared that he believes the pound-for-pound king is not a threat to the lightweight champion.
Speaking to Submission Radio, Mendez heaped praise upon Volkanovski before stating:
"I don’t think he poses as big a threat to Islam as you would think because he’s such a master on the takedown and Alex isn’t going to be able to stop it, no matter what he does. Islam’s stand up is so damn good that he can stand with him so, unless Alex’s ground improves tremendously, I don’t see it as a huge threat to Islam."
Both Volkanovski and Makhachev are targeting a fight in Perth, Australia at UFC 284 in February. While Makhachev has not lost a fight in over seven years, winning 11 straight, Volkanovski's 22 fight win streak dates back nearly a full decade.
Watch Javier Mendez discuss Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev below (starting at the 9:10 mark):