Henry Cejudo Thinks Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria Tops Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall
On a recent episode of the “Pound 4 Pound” podcast, Henry Cejudo told Kamaru Usman that he believes Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria could bring in even more business for the UFC than Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall (h/t MMAJunkie).
“I personally believe that (Makhachev vs. Topuria) could potentially be bigger than Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall,” Cejudo said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Kamaru Usman. “Competitively, of course, man. It’s not just that – it’s the simple fact that Ilia Topuria has a chance to become champ-champ.
“The heavyweight division, we’ll just know who’s the real undisputed champion. But in this position, if Ilia does win, that puts him in a category of, f*ck, you beat the former pound-for-pound (best) in (Alexander) Volkanovski, you’re beating the current pound-for-pound in a guy like Islam Makhachev. Give him his flowers.”
Topuria’s team has teased potentially moving up to the lightweight division. “El Matador” is the current UFC featherweight champion and if he stays in the division, he’ll likely face Alexander Volkanovski in a rematch. As for Makhachev, the reigning UFC lightweight champion, he hasn’t shown much interest in facing Topuria unless the current 145-pound titleholder proves himself at 155 pounds.
