Alexander Volkanovski

Henry Cejudo is coming back to the UFC with one goal in mind: to become the first three-division champion in the sport's history.

He'll just have to make a pitstop back at his old bantamweight stomping grounds on his way to taking on featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.

"That's the only reason why I'm even going down to 135 pounds," Cejudo said of his quest for featherweight gold, per Marc Raimondi of ESPN. "These dudes are not on my level—none of those dudes are at my level. And they all know it. So if I have to go down to 135 pounds [and win back] my belt to challenge Alexander Volkanovski, that's what I have to do."

Cejudo has not fought since retiring after his win over Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 in May 2020. He ended his career with six straight wins, capturing the flyweight and bantamweight championships in the process.

"Nobody beat me," Cejudo said. "I left, I relinquished my belt. I was never stripped. ... I'm here to make history."

The 35-year-old began mounting his comeback in April, reentering the USADA drug-testing pool. He will be eligible to fight again in October.

Current bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is set to defend his title against TJ Dillashaw at September's UFC 279 pay-per-view. Cejudo said he would like to face the winner of that bout in his return fight or potentially go toe-to-toe with Sean O'Malley, who has become a rising face in the bantamweight division.

At UFC 276, Alex Volkanovski didn't leave much room for interpretation.

First, he defeated the great Max Holloway for the third time, dominating the former champ to defend his featherweight title and close the door on their rivalry.

Then, on no uncertain terms, he reiterated his desire to move on to greener, heavier pastures.

"I just proved to you that I want to be in this Octagon as much as possible,” Volkanovski said after Saturday's fight at T-Mobile Arena, per Damon Martin of MMA Fighting. "I want to be busy. I want to move up [to lightweight] and go for double champ, and I'll keep two divisions busy. Charles [Oliveira], whoever gets that belt, no disrespect, I'd love to move up, get that double-champ status."

He's certainly earned the right to try his hand.

After taking out Holloway via unanimous decision in the co-main event, Volkanovski is now 25-1 overall, 12-0 in the UFC and 4-0 in consecutive title defenses. During the performance, he outlanded Holloway (23-7) by a 199-127 margin, a far greater difference than their two previous matchups. If that's not a cleaned-out division, it's pretty darn close.

There are still bows at featherweight; Josh Emmett or the winner of the bout between Yair Rodriguez and Brian Ortega on July 16 come to mind. Another high-profile name who has thrown himself into the ring is Henry Cejudo. But let's hit the brakes on that one right now. As great as the semi-retired Cejudo was, he's still a flyweight who stretched to make bantamweight. He'd be massively undersized against Volkanovski, a featherweight who has competed at welterweight.

In any case, lightweight is clearly Volk's preferred destination, and he wants to go straight to a title shot. The former rugby player should have no trouble adding the requisite mass. However, with the lightweight belt sitting vacant and with an injured hand clouding Volk's return timeline, his request requires a bit of a thought exercise.

Oliveira will likely be one-half of the lightweight title bout whenever it's announced. But who else might be in the mix for Volk at 155 pounds, regardless of whether he gets to cut the line? Here are five possibilities listed in no particular order.

Charles Oliveira

Let's get the obvious choice out of the way first. You can rearrange Oliveira, Volkanovski, middleweight champ Israel Adesanya and welterweight champ Kamaru Usman at the top of the pound-for-pound list, but no matter how you slice it, this matchup would give you two of the four best fighters on planet Earth.

But here's the rub: Oliveira has repeatedly called for a date with Conor McGregor, whenever McGregor returns from that gruesome leg injury (the general target is early fall).

So that may leave Volkanovski—and everyone else—on the outside looking in when it comes to the lightweight title picture. But there are even more complications. Oliveira recently told Helen Yee Sports that he's willing to move up a weight class if it means securing the McGregor fight. No shade on Oliveira for following the money, but it further complicates the scenarios at 155.

Dustin Poirier

Poirier appears to be on a collision course with Michael Chandler following a cageside fracas at UFC 276. Still, you know he'd love one or both of the following things to happen: 1) another shot at the lightweight title and 2) something with a lot of zeroes behind it.

A mega-bout with Volkanovski would satisfy the second criterion, and it could satisfy the first if Oliveira is more fixed on McGregor to the point that he'd walk away, if only temporarily, from the division he ruled for roughly a year .

If Poirier and Volkanovski were to lock horns, Poirier's pressure and inside boxing style could limit the effectiveness of Volkanovski's feinting and movement.

No matter what else happens, it would be hard to deny a title shot to the winner between these two.

Islam Makhachev

Makhachev is often painted as the third wheel in this division's title race after Oliveira and McGregor. Further, guys like Volkanovski and Poirier have much bigger name value. And third, Makhachev is good. Really good. It seems no one wants to touch the Dagestani with a 10-foot pole, given that he and his power wrestling are a threat to anyone and everyone in the division.

Volkanovski could fill the void, especially if the winner were guaranteed a title shot. This is also an intriguing matchup, with Makhachev's grappling posing a major test to Volkanovski's robust takedown defense. If Makhachev gets on top of you on the mat, it's typically curtains.

Justin Gaethje

No big deal. Just one of the biggest popcorn fights the UFC could make in any division. Gaethje is the wild card on this list, but that's just the way he likes it.

But this is more than surefire violence. How will Volkanovski's power translate to lightweight? How about his wrestling? How about his chin? Gaethje's strength, takedown defense and durability all would pose massive challenges for Volkanovski.

Conor McGregor

In April, Volkanovski told TMZ Sports that he was indeed interested in facing McGregor once the Irishman returns.

"Oh, yeah. … It's always going to interest a lot of people,” Volkanovski said. "It's always going to be a big fight. There's always going to be money. There's going to be a circus. It's going to be entertaining. It's going to be fun. I'll enjoy that whole f--king thing."

Keep in mind that a date between Oliveira and McGregor is not a fait accompli, no matter how badly Oliveira wants it. There's an argument to be made that Volk is a bigger name than Oliveira, and McGregor's power striking would make for a counterweight to Volkanovski's pressure and volume. Volkanovski has also shown a greater aptitude than Oliveira for playing the hype game—a critical component to facing McGregor.

Ultimately, money talks, and a Volkanovski-McGregor matchup may talk the loudest, regardless of whether a title is even on the line.

Alexander Volkanovski once again proved to be too much for Max Holloway, defending his title against the Hawaiian via unanimous decision at UFC 276 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The victory for Volkanovski should close the book on what has been an epic trilogy.

Despite their familiarity with one another, there was still an extended feeling-out process in Round 1. However, once they started throwing hands it was Volkanovski's quickness that stood out.

That trend continued as nearly every advance from Blessed was met with sharp counters from the Australian. By the end of the second round, Volkanovski opened up a nasty cut over Holloway's eye.

Max sporting some face paint 🩸 #UFC276 pic.twitter.com/52flxjKRNc

— UFC (@ufc) July 3, 2022

While the quickness was impressive from the champion, his technical prowess was on display too. He consistently set up his strikes and frustrated Holloway with his ability to throw off his rhythm.

While the commentary seems to revolve around the speed of Volk, I’m more impressed by the traps that Alexander is setting up with his jab. Whether he’s luring Max in and countering or freezing Max up with feints and attacking, Volk is looking improved yet again.

— Kenny Florian (@kennyflorian) July 3, 2022

Volkanovski is in the middle of an epic run in the featherweight division, but this fight is his most complete to date. The way he dismantled Holloway to make his career record against Blessed 3-0 is the kind of thing that will be used in Greatest of All-Time debates for years to come.

The reigning champion defeated Holloway in the first fight, with most scorecards coming out three rounds to two in favor of the Australian. However, their rematch at UFC 251 was much more controversial. An overwhelming number of fans and media believed Holloway did enough to take the belt that night.

That left enough interest in the matchup to book a third fight despite Volkanovski holding a 2-0 advantage.

As for what's next, Volkanovski is excited to close the book on this matchup and take on a new challenge: champ-champ status.

"After this one, I want that double-champ status," Volkanovski told Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated. "My division is in a spot where we can see what happens while I go after that double-champ lightweight title fight."

Volkanovski has certainly earned the right to test himself in a new division. He fought his UFC debut at 155 pounds in 2016 and has been unbeaten since moving down to 145 pounds. He now has four successful title defenses.

If he can successfully take another title, it would give him a great case as the top pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC. At just 5'6" with a 71" reach, he's much smaller than former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira at 5'10" with a 74" reach.

Max Holloway said he's angling for a rematch with Conor McGregor after his UFC 276 featherweight title fight against champion Alexander Volkanovski on Saturday night.

Holloway told TMZ Sports he's prepared to avenge his August 2013 loss to McGregor, who won the first meeting by unanimous decision.

"It'd be a great, big fight for everyone," Holloway said, adding he's hopeful the bout would take place in his native Hawai'i. "I mean, we got a stadium. Why not do it?"

He faced a turning point in his career after the loss to McGregor. He'd lost two straight fights and three of his last six to drop his career record to 7-3.

Holloway responded by winning 13 consecutive times from January 2014 through December 2018, a stretch that included a stint as the UFC featherweight champion.

Now he's hoping for another shot at McGregor, who remains one of the promotion's biggest draws despite more lackluster results in recent years. He insists those thoughts haven't affected his preparation for the showdown with Volkanovski, though.

"This [is] the first time in two years I get to fight in front of a crowd again," Holloway told TMZ. "I got five title wins, and I have to get my sixth title win against Alex in front of my family, in front of my friends on the ninth island. It would be huge."

As he looks to return to the top of the featherweight division, McGregor continues to rehab from a gruesome leg injury suffered in his most recent fight, a July 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier.

In May, the former lightweight and featherweight champion told Sky Sports he was set to increase his training intensity, both in MMA and boxing.

"Obviously, my return will be in the Octagon for UFC—that story is far from over," McGregor said. "In fact, it's just being written. It is just the beginning. But boxing for sure I will grace the squared circle again in the future."

An imminent rematch between Holloway and McGregor would likely be contingent on the Hawaiian coming up short in his title opportunity on Saturday. It's unlikely the UFC would thrust the Irishman right back into the championship picture upon his return.

Holloway's desire for the potential matchup to take place in Hawai'i is also a storyline itself, as UFC President Dana White has stated his desire to bring a card to the islands, but so far the sides haven't been able to reach a financial agreement.

All told, McGregor's return and Holloway's homecoming on the first UFC card in Hawai'i would be quite a spectacle if it ever came to fruition.

Alexander Volkanovski never imagined he'd have to fight Max Holloway three times. Once? Certainly. A second time? Maybe. But a third fight?

"I definitely didn't expect this," the Australian told B/R from Las Vegas, where he will fight Holloway again in a few days' time. "I was confident that I would win the first fight and I knew that I'd probably have to do a rematch, but to do a trilogy? Yeah. Never really thought of that."

Volkanovski first met Holloway at UFC 245 in December of 2019. He won the fight by unanimous decision, capturing the promotion's featherweight title in the process. Holloway, who had won his last 14 fights in the division, was then granted an immediate rematch at UFC 251 in July of 2020. The Hawaiian performed much better the second time around, winning the fight in the eyes of many spectators, but ultimately lost a split decision to fall to 0-2 against his Australian rival.

That’s not the typical foundation for a trilogy fight — usually, they serve as tie-breakers — but Holloway will get a third crack at the champion in the co-main event of UFC 276 this Saturday. And he is not surprised by his current position.

"If [the first two fights were] so clear-cut, we wouldn’t be here for a third time," the Hawaiian, who has beaten Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez by decision since his last loss to Volkanovski, told B/R.

Holloway's supporters have made their thoughts on his second loss to Volkanovski very clear. The consensus among the Hawaiian’s faithful is that it was a robbery.

Volkanovski has heard those criticisms, and recognizes that a decisive win this Saturday will probably silence his skeptics once and for all, but claims that is not a focus.

"I get to shut them up this weekend, but I’m not here to shut them up," he said. "It'd be good to shut them up, but that’s not why I’m doing this trilogy. It’s so much bigger than that."

"I'm here for myself, my family, my legacy, my team, to make history. I’m here for all that now."

Legacy is a word Volkanovski uses often these days. He says it is one of his main motivators ahead of UFC 276—in large part because of the financial rewards that it entails.

"I want to be the greatest because I know I can leverage that for my entire life, my family can live off that," he explained. "That's how I look at it now. That's why you bring up legacy. It's because leaving a legacy behind and having a name that you can leverage, you can look after your family for a long time with that."

Holloway also claims to be motivated by legacy ahead of UFC 276, but in a slightly different way.

"Legacy is the motivation," he said. "I just want to be remembered as one of the hardest working guys, one of the most respected guys, and a guy that encouraged and inspired guys to be great."

Volkanovski and Holloway are both counted among the greatest featherweights of all time, and it's arguable that the winner of their Saturday night trilogy fight belongs at the very top of that list.

The pair have different outlooks on the featherweight GOAT debate.

Volkanovski defers to the fans and media on such topics, while Holloway believes former WEC and UFC champ Jose Aldo—whom he has beaten twice by stoppage—is still the division’s greatest fighter.

"The guy, to me, that is the best featherweight of all time is still Jose Aldo," Holloway said. "He's got a bunch of records that nobody can touch. Until somebody can beat them, I’ll call that guy the best featherweight ever."

"Everybody's chasing that man."

One thing that Volkanovski and Holloway wholeheartedly agree on is that their Saturday title fight will cap off one of the most compelling rivalries in UFC history—a rivalry that is in league with Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier's fiery saga up at light heavyweight, according to the challenger.

"When in the last decade did you have two guys in the same weight class, in the pound-for-pound rankings—the top-half of the pound-for-pound rankings—fight each other?" he said. "The only one I can think of is DC and Jones. It's crazy. These things don't happen."

"I think it's definitely right up there," Volkanovski agreed. "We’re some of the best fighters in the world."

There is no way to know how the trilogy will end this Saturday.

Volkanovski is hoping to finish the fight, but having already spent 10 grueling rounds in the Octagon with his absurdly durable rival, recognizes that a stoppage may not be possible.

"Max is just too tough to just say I'll finish him," the champion said. "But let me put it this way: I'm going to land on that chin and I'm going to land big. If he does hold up after what I'm planning on doing to him, that's pretty incredible."

Holloway is also hoping to put an end to things with a finish, and while he admits he is feeling the pressure to capitalize on what could be his last bid for the featherweight title, he is confident he will make it happen.

"I've been in there with this guy for 10 rounds," he said. "I don't think it goes past 3."