Cejudo: I'm 'entitled to skip the whole damn line' to fight Volkanovski

Henry Cejudo knows there are featherweight contenders waiting for a crack at Alexander Volkanovski's UFC title - but he doesn't care.

More than a year after first expressing interest in fighting Volkanovski, the former bantamweight and flyweight champion still hopes to come out of retirement for a featherweight title shot and a chance to make history by winning a third UFC belt.

"I believe that yeah, I am entitled to skip the whole damn line and fight Volkanovski," Cejudo told ESPN's Marc Raimondi on Monday. "Do you know why? Because I deserve it. I've defended my flyweight belt against Demetrious Johnson. I beat TJ Dillashaw. I knocked out Marlon Moraes. And I defended it against Dominick Cruz, the greatest bantamweight of all time."

He added: "I still think of winning that third belt. I really do. I really do think it's attainable. I think anybody is crazy to count me out."

Cejudo last competed in the Octagon in May 2020 with a TKO win over Dominick Cruz, after which he announced his retirement from mixed martial arts. The 34-year-old has said before he would come back to the sport to fight Volkanovski, and it seems that desire has only grown stronger.

"It's not even a challenge against Volkanovski," Cejudo said. "I know he's probably a little afraid, that he knows this flyweight could potentially beat him. This challenge is for (UFC president) Dana White. Dana White said that he would never doubt me ... once I beat Marlon, once I won that second belt."

Cejudo said Volkanovski "wouldn't last more than three rounds" with him, and the 145-pound champ is the only opponent he's interested in - unless the money is right.

"Petr Yan, he doesn't tickle my pickle, he doesn't get me excited, he doesn't razzle me. TJ Dillashaw, I've knocked him out in 32 seconds. He doesn't razzle me either. I know I can knock these dudes out," Cejudo said. "I want a fight that nobody believes that I could win."