Cejudo calls out Holloway: I don’t dare to be great, I am great

Retired former double-champ Henry Cejudo wants a new challenge in the form of Max Holloway. | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

If it were up to him, Henry Cejudo would fight Max Holloway for the UFC featherweight title. …


Retired former double-champ Henry Cejudo wants a new challenge in the form of Max Holloway.
Retired former double-champ Henry Cejudo wants a new challenge in the form of Max Holloway. | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

If it were up to him, Henry Cejudo would fight Max Holloway for the UFC featherweight title.

Max Holloway may be of the most respected fighters in the game today, but that doesn’t make him immune to call-outs. On Tuesday, retired ex-double champ Henry Cejudo issued a challenge to the former undisputed featherweight champion.

“I have never trolled Max Holloway, I have never called him out, until now,” Cejudo told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.

“He’s taller than me, he’s inflicted more damage on different people. But I feel like I’m just too smart, I’m too skilled, and I love the challenge if I was to ever fight Max Holloway.”

“Triple C” says he’s driven by people’s doubts about his chances against Holloway. And even with the size disparity, he’s already liking his chances.

“People would not believe me that I could beat him because he’s so damn tall and what he’s been able to do with a lot of these people. And I love the challenge,” Cejudo said.

“Watch my Dominick Cruz fight and look at how much taller he is than me and look at how I was able to manage the distance. Taking his legs out, the timing portion of it. I think it’s just my IQ. I came up with this theory of how I became successful, and I call it the Art of War. Where I connect the mind, body, and science altogether.”

Cejudo wants Holloway to win back the 145-pound title then fight some time down the line. For him, it’s another path to further greatness.

“I don’t dare to be great as a lot of these people say. I am freaking great. I go out there and actually conquer it. I’m not daring myself. I am great,” he proudly said.

“Daring to be great and being great are two different things. You can dare all you want, but then you have the greats. You have the greats the go in there and they get the damn job done.

“I would love for Max Holloway to win that belt again, and I would love to go in there and fight him and to demonstrate to the world how great Triple C is.”

Holloway’s last fight against Calvin Kattar was deemed by many as one of his greatest (if not the greatest) performances of his career. The 29-year-old Hawaiian won via a lopsided unanimous decision while setting a record for himself for the most significant strikes attempted in a fight with 744 (445 landed).