Henry Cejudo reveals why now is the right time to return in hopes of capturing a third Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) title at the expense of featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski.
Cejudo (16-2) retired from mixed martial arts (MMA) following a second-round technical knockout (TKO) win over Dominick Cruz at UFC 259 on May 9, 2020. The Olympic gold medalist called out Volkanovski following Volk’s successful title defense against Brian Ortega at UFC 266 on Sept. 25, 2021 (watch highlights here). Ahead of the U.S. premiere of In Full Bloom, a sports drama executive produced by Cejudo, the former UFC Bantamweight and Flyweight champion reveals why now is the time for an Octagon return.
“He’s proven that he can keep winning and somebody needs to stop him in his tracks,” Cejudo tells MMAMania.com. “I think it should be an American. If Dana White is that patriotic and loves America, then why doesn’t he serve me up Alexander ‘The Average’? I beat him, I take the crown of best pound-for-pound fighter in the world and the crown of the best fighter in history. I just double dip, I triple dip in everything and I become the first fighter to win three belts. It’s a no-brainer. Just show me the money.
“What needs to move forward is to book a legacy fight with Alexander ‘The Overgrown Midget’ Volkanovski. I want that. I want to make history. I can become the first triple champ in UFC history. I can do it. I can stop him and I would love to do it in Australia. How about that? In front of 60,000 people.”
In Full Bloom had its red carpet premiere on Thursday, Oct. 14 prior to its wide release on Friday, Oct. 15. The U.S. release is in collaboration with nonprofit organization Peace4Kids, with some of the film’s proceeds benefitting children in foster care.
“In Full Bloom is a movie [based in] post-World War II. You have these two coaches — an American man and a Japanese man. They are all after the same goal. They come together for the purest form of competition and that’s inside the [boxing] ring,” Cejudo explains. “It’s super cool because you watch the film and you think you’re going for somebody, but when you start to see the other journey of somebody else, it’s almost like, ‘Hey, everybody kind of has the same ups and downs. Everybody goes through diversity.’ It’s just super cool to see these two coaches come together and fight in the most political way, and that is in the sport of boxing.
“A lot of the proceeds are going to the kids in foster care there,” he adds. “We do believe in philanthropy and giving back and I think that’s the best way and form to give to kids in foster care. To give them an opportunity. A lot of them will be in attendance tonight at the red carpet [premiere]. It’s going to be awesome. Everyone wins in this situation... Watch it with the family. It’s a great story. It’s one of the best stories you guys will ever see. Mike Tyson loves it, Cris Cyborg. We are all advocates of the film and our job is to get it out there and to inspire as many lives as possible.”
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