Former UFC champion defends José Aldo as the greatest featherweight in history and advises Volkanovski

J. Aldo in victory for the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

The dominant victory of Alexander Volkanovsky about Yair Rodriguez in a duel for the unification of the linear and interim featherweight belts, last Saturday (8), brought to the surface once again the debate about the greatest fighter in the history of the UFC's 65,7kg category. While some believe that the Australian has already done enough to assume the post, others argue that the throne still belongs to José Aldo, among them the former Ultimate champion Henry Cejudo.

In a video published on his official YouTube channel, the former flyweight (up to 56,7kg) and bantamweight (up to 61,2kg) champion stated that, based on the numbers and achievements, José Aldo He must still be considered the greatest name in featherweight history.

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“Right now, based on the numbers, José Aldo He is still the greatest featherweight of all time. Just based on the numbers. I'm not saying he's the best featherweight ever, but from the facts and figures, José Aldo is still the biggest. You forget the special things that José Aldo did and all the wrestlers he beat. In Chad Mendes a Frankie Edgar, he hit them both twice. Two Division I NCAA wrestlers, legitimate wrestlers that he was able to beat. An All-American and a finalist. He did some incredible things and the numbers don’t lie,” Cejudo said.

In the opinion of Henry Cejudo, Alexander Volkanovsky, who currently has five featherweight title defenses, three less than José Aldo, can use a rematch against Islam makhachev for the lightweight title (up to 70,3kg) as a shortcut to a different level.

“If I were in Volkanovski's place, depending on how the surgery goes, I would face Islam (Makhachev). I would go for double champion status. I would challenge myself. You have five title defenses now and are three away from overcoming José Aldo in featherweight history. But you can move up a division, win the lightweight belt and that would put you in a different category.”

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