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White: Cejudo getting featherweight title shot a 'silly conversation'

Jeff Bottari / UFC / Getty

It appears Henry Cejudo wasn't in the running to serve as a replacement opponent for UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.

Cejudo, the former bantamweight and flyweight titleholder who retired in 2020, campaigned for a title shot last week after Max Holloway pulled out of his trilogy bout against Volkanovski. But UFC president Dana White said Saturday that Cejudo jumping the line wouldn't be realistic.

"Isn't that guy retired? He's retired, isn't he? Last time I saw, he was retired," White said at the UFC Fight Night post-fight press conference. "And now he's mad that he didn't get a title shot? That doesn't even make sense. In a different weight class? It doesn't make sense."

Several other fighters called for a shot at Volkanovski, including Josh Emmett and Giga Chikadze, who lost to Calvin Kattar in Saturday's main event. The UFC ultimately went with No. 4-ranked featherweight Chan Sung Jung, booking him to fight Volkanovski at UFC 273 in April.

Cejudo told MMA Junkie Radio earlier this week he believes White is interested in the Volkanovski fight but "wants to pay me peanuts in comparison to what I really deserve."

But the UFC boss is adamant that his reluctance to book Volkanovski-Cejudo was a matter of merit.

"This is a f------ silly conversation. Silly," White said. "If (Cejudo) wants to come back and try to win the title again in his weight class ... then (he can) talk about moving up or doing something else.

"But you don't just f------ pop up and start calling somebody names and think that you're going to get a title shot in a different weight class when you've been retired for what, two, two-and-a-half years?"

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