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Alexander Volkanovski is set to make his return to the UFC nearly 8 months after claiming the Featherweight Championship. At UFC 251 he faces the man he triumphed over at Las Vegas in Max Holloway. However, despite preparing for an encore against ‘Blessed’, the Australian fighter found time to address a fighter who has commented on returning for a Featherweight clash. In doing so, he seemingly poked at the former 3rd ranked UFC pound-for-pound fighter and termed him a contender. 

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Alexander Volkanovski was open to fighting Henry Cejudo 

In a chat with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show, the Featherweight Champion said, “I was open to it.”

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Furthermore, he said he was not one to put an entire division on standstill. “Holding up divisions, I ain’t about all that.” Finally, he laid into the ‘The Messenger’ and termed him a contender. 

“But as soon as he said he retired and gave up his belts. And then saying he would come out of retirement to fight at Featherweight. I looked at him now as Featherweight contender.”

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Despite Henry Cejudo’s impressive achievements as an amateur mat wrestler and his exploits in the cage at Bantamweight and Flyweight, he has never stepped onto the scale at 145. Hence, ‘The Great’ is not wrong in disregarding his achievements in other divisions and terming him a challenger for the strap. 

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Volkanovski fans will certainly be hoping that their favorite can pull off consecutive wins over ‘Blessed’ at Fight Island. This is because should Holloway reclaim the belt, one can be very sure of ‘Triple C’ being extremely active on social media. 

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“You Wouldn’t Make it Past Two Rounds with Triple C”- Henry Cejudo Challenges Alexander Volkanovski

‘The Great’s impressive win streak can certainly allay any doubts as he hasn’t lost a fight in the UFC. His last defeat came 7 years ago in the Australian Fighting Championship promotion. 

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However, fans know all it takes is one good shot to completely erase years of dominance and send a fighter into oblivion. 

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Can Volkanovski retain his belt and give fans the opportunity to see the Henry Cejudo fight unfold?

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Khabib Nurmagomedov Picks Surprise Winners At UFC 251

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Reubyn Coutinho

1,037 Articles

Reubyn Coutinho is the Head of Fact-Checking Initiatives and Content Quality Lead at EssentiallySports, where he oversees editorial quality across multiple sports verticals. A Communication graduate, he’s spent over five years shaping the site’s evolution from a niche sports blog into an all-in-one news platform, mentoring more than 110 journalists, introducing data-driven article improvements, and developing editorial guidelines for global audiences. Across his career at ES, Reubyn has worked as a writer, editor, and senior editor, covering everything from UFC, WWE, and boxing to F1, NFL, NBA, and tennis. His bylines include exclusive interviews with former UFC champions Demetrious Johnson and Miesha Tate, as well as combat sports stars Marcus Almeida and Sage Northcutt. Known for his meticulous eye, he regularly resolves headline debates, revisits trending pieces using live analytics, and sets the standard for high-quality sports reporting. Outside of sports media, Reubyn is an active film critic, contributing reviews and festival coverage to Netflix Junkie, where he’s covered events such as MAMI, Venice, and NYAFF. Whether he’s breaking down a championship fight or a Hitchcock classic, his work comes with deep research with a pure love for sport.

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