UFC stars Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo discussed former featherweight champion Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski on their podcast “Pound 4 Pound.” They talked about Volk’s chances against current top contenders like Diego Lopes and Max Holloway, who are each making their own push towards a title shot.
Henry Cejudo Believes That Alexander Volkanovski’s Chin is Gone
Henry Cejudo made a bold statement:
“If I’m in Lopes’ position, I would definitely call for a Volkanovski fight. And I do believe Lopes could finish him, dude. Volkanovski, his chin’s gone, dude.”
Henry Cejudo – Pound 4 Pound Podcast
This statement comes after Alex suffered his second straight loss since UFC 294 to Islam Makhachev.
Makhachev was able to successfully defend his lightweight title a second time against Volkanovski with a round 1 head kick knockout. The pair had previously met at UFC 284 and fought to a split decision that gave Islam the win.
It’s really hard to say if Volk’s chin is really gone, or if he simply got caught by two of the hardest-hitting men on the planet in his back-to-back losses.
Alex also lost his title to Ilia Topuria back at UFC 298 by a spectacular second-round knockout, but stays focused on regaining his championship. However, this remains to be seen, as the current champ already has a tough challenge ahead of him at UFC 308 against Max Holloway.
No Shortage of Options
The UFC veteran Holloway has been on a comeback streak of three straight wins. This puts him in a position to reclaim the featherweight title that he lost to Alexander back in 2019. Holloway had attempted to take back his title against Volkanovski twice more but came up short each time.
Volkanovski has also mentioned that he is open to the idea of fighting Diego Lopes for an interim featherweight title. Though this seems to be wishful thinking, as there is no circumstance for an interim belt at this time. Lopes would seem to make the most sense for Alex, as he has already fought Holloway three times.
Diego Lopes has been making his mark in 2024, winning all three of his fights in dominant fashion. Lopes first defeated Sodiq Yusuff at UFC 300 by TKO, Dan Ige, and recently Brian Ortega. Many believe that given time, he will assuredly be the next featherweight champion.
Whomever Volkanovski faces next, it will be interesting to see how his chin holds up. Can he absorb the same kind of damage that he used to? Will we get to see Volkanovski vs. Holloway 4? Only time will tell!
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images and Embed from Getty Images
