Henry Cejudo Says He Wants to Come out of Retirement, Fight UFC's Alex Volkanovski

Former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo might be looking to add a third title to his resume.

Cejudo called out UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, who is coming off a unanimous decision win over Brian Ortega in a "fight of the year" contender in the main event of UFC 266 this past Saturday.

"Dana White, if you're listening, this is a real message. Forget the cringe, forget the persona, this is straight-up me," Cejudo told TMZ Sports. "I am the greatest combat athlete of all time, and I promise you, give me that opportunity, I will knock [Volkanovski] out in less than three rounds."

Cejudo last fought in May 2020 at UFC 249, defeating Dominick Cruz by second-round TKO to defend the bantamweight title. After the win, Cejudo announced his retirement from the Octagon.

Despite his retirement 17 months ago, Cejudo has not shied away from calling out fighters in the lighter weight classes. Now, he has turned his attention to Volkanovski after his showing on Saturday.

Volkanovski, who hadn't fought since July 2020, showed why he is a true champion by surviving two tight submission attempts by Ortega, who is a high-level black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu. Despite the impressive performance, Cejudo believes he has the tools to beat Volkanovski.

"As much as I saw good things from Volkanovski, there still is a lot of holes," Cejudo said. "I believe my height will be a problem, because he is a couple inches taller than me. My speed, my wrestling, my experience, I've been in there with the best."

Cejudo is one of four fighters ever to hold two UFC titles simultaneously, joining Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier and Amanda Nunes. He also holds an Olympic gold medal in freestyle wrestling and he dubbed himself with the nickname "Triple C."

No fighter has ever won a UFC championship in three different divisions, which is what Cejudo would be attempting to do. But there is nothing official, as he is still considered to be retired.

Volkanovski responded to a tweet Cejudo posted Saturday night, dismissing the notion that Cejudo would have a chance against him.

"F--k Henry Cejudo,” Volkanovski said at the UFC 266 post-fight press conference. "He’s called out everyone. ... You actually believe the s--t that comes out of his mouth? Nah. I’ll squash the little germ."