Henry Cejudo believes Alex Volkanovski needs more time to prepare for Islam Makachev.
Islam Makhachev (23-1 MMA) defeated Charles Oliveira (33-9 MMA) at UFC 280 last Saturday night to capture the lightweight title with a second-round submission.
Speaking at the post fight press conference, Makhachev said:
“I have a new target. I have to be No. 1 pound-for-pound champion. That’s why I have to go to Australia and beat this guy (Volkanovski).”
Alex Volkanovski (25-1 MMA) last fought in July of this year where he defeated Max Holloway (23-7 MMA) via unanimous decision at UFC 276.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Cejudo had this to say about Makhachev:
“A taller guy, a bigger, stronger guy that has the ability of taking your hits and still moving forward. A guy that eats, breathes and tells you exactly what is it that he’s gonna do. He’s gonna take you down, he’s gonna smother you, he’s gonna make you get up, he’s just gonna beat you up, and I think you’re gonna need more time for that.”
Henry Cejudo then discussed the timing of a Volkanovski vs Makhachev fight:
“I don’t understand why they’re doing Australia in February. So damn early, but what you are 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.”
Continuing, ‘Triple C’ spoke about Volkanovski saying:
“At least Charles Oliveira has submissions. I’m sure Volkanovski can submit, but he hasn’t really shown that. I haven’t seen a submission from him. And then him on his back, and he’s shorter. I mean, there’s a bunch of short Dagestanis in Russia that they’re gonna be able to mimic that.”
“But it could also be a plus for Volkanovski, too, but I think Volkanovski’s pound-for-pound title is gonna be short-lived, and I think the wrath of Islam Makhachev is just a little too much. That’s a really strong debut to go at 155 pounds.”
Do you agree with Henry Cejudo that Alex Volkanovski needs more time to prepare for a fight with Islam Makhachev?
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