Former UFC flyweight & bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo is calling for a massive MMA crossover. He wants to see the UFC and Bellator featherweight champions duke it out for the title of world’s best. Cejudo made his case on the Triple C & Schmo Show, calling on his fellow fighters to challenge the UFC’s dominance in the MMA landscape.
“I say we start challenging the UFC. To me, I’m not a UFC fighter. I’m a fighter that wants to say I am the best, and I believe in competing and going up against anybody that is the best, and if it does happen to be Alexander Volkanovski that they think, give him ‘Pitbull’ [Freire]. ‘Pitbull’ has been there, defeated some of the greats. I think it’s time for the crossover.”
Cejudo Calls For Volk vs Freire Crossover Fight
Cejudo continued, citing Freire’s record as evidence that he could stand up against the UFC’s no.1 pound-for-pound fighter. “I just think Patricio’s IQ, his power in his hands, the fact that he could wrestle.
I mean, he’s a real mixed martial artist. I think people need to really pay him respect even though he’s not part of the UFC. He got rid of a guy like Michael Chandler in a minute-and-a-half.
Think about it, a real guy that’s a top guy in the world at 155 pounds, this dude got rid of him in a minute-and-a-half, which is crazy. Would Max Holloway or would Alexander Volkanovski do that to somebody like Michael Chandler?”
Cejudo admitted that, since he has trained with Freire, he’s more than a little biased. As it stands, there’s been zero discussion from the UFC about a cross-promotional event. Bellator’s Scott Coker and AJ McKee have called for crossover fights in the past, but it’s clear that UFC president Dana White has minimal interest in the prospect.
Alexander Volkanovski, the UFC featherweight champion, has other priorities to consider. Among them is a challenge from Henry Cejudo, who has threatened to return from retirement to compete in the featherweight division and compete for Volkanovski’s title.
More pressing is Volkanovski’s professed pursuit of a second UFC belt, with the Australian fighter calling for a chance to face the winner of Oliveira vs Makhachev in a few months’ time. Freire is ranked no.1 in the Bellator pound-for-pound rankings, and recently defended his featherweight title against Adam Borics at Bellator 286.
Do you think it’s time for a UFC vs Bellator event? Let us know in the comments.
