Retired former two-division UFC champ Henry Cejudo has hinted that he may be willing to strap his gloves back on for a fight against former featherweight king Max Holloway.
“I have never called out Holloway (until now),” Cejudo told ESPN. “(Find) any video where I’ve actually called out Holloway. Even when he had the belt, I’ve never called out Max Holloway. He’s another fight that I feel like in the future I would love to fight.”
It seems that it’s big challenges like that against opponents where he may be considered the underdog that motivate the ex-flyweight and bantamweight champion to return to the Octagon.
“I love the fact that people do not believe that I can beat him,” Cejudo said. “… I think that Max Holloway fight, because nobody would believe me, is the same reason why I would want that fight. He’s taller than me. He’s inflicted a lot more damage on different people. But I feel like I’m just too smart and just too skilled. I’d love the challenge if I were to ever fight Max Holloway.”
Cejudo went on to explain how his win over Dominick Cruz offers insight into how he could get the better of someone like Holloway.
“I think my IQ, I think my smartness (is the difference). Of course, he has range. I would be the distance. This is the thing, man: Watch my Dominick Cruz fight. Look at how much taller he is than me and look at how I was able to manage the distance, taking his legs out, the timing portion of it. I think it’s just my IQ. … I personally feel that there’s no doubt in my mind that I can beat him.
“Now, it’s just kind of getting the opportunity (or) shot. … I would love for Max Holloway to win that belt again. I would love to go in there and fight him and to demonstrate to the world how great ‘Triple C’ is. I don’t dare to be great. I am damn great.”
It all sounds very intriguing, but it should be noted that Cejudo has been getting pretty comfortable with retirement, so talking about a comeback and actually doing it are two very different things.
Money could also be a big component in whether he would return or not, and it remains to be seen whether the UFC would be willing to meet his pay demands given that for all his success in the Octagon, he’s not a proven pay-per-view draw.
