“We’re both fighting Georgians…” Alexander Volkanovski and Henry Cejudo’s confrontation turns into truce ahead of UFC 298

Alexander Volkanovski and Henry Cejudo connect over their determination to defeat their Georgian opponents.

“We’re both fighting Georgians…” Alexander Volkanovski and Henry Cejudo’s confrontation turns into truce ahead of UFC 298

 Henry Cejudo and Alexander Volkanovski bond over their drive to defeat their Georgian opponents (via Imago)

Alexander Volkanovski and Henry Cejudo are the most decorated MMA fighters on the roster. The UFC featherweight king had an eventful exchange backstage with Cejudo. He confronted Henry Cejudo over the prank that saw him fire his long-time coach. However, the tension quickly dissipated with laughs and unity formed over fighting Georgians this weekend.

Footage showed that Alexander Volkanovski approached Henry Cejudo about the coach firing prank ahead of UFC 298. Cejudo was seen signing the posters for the event and responded lightheartedly about the prank. Both the fighters shared a laugh and agreed to beat their respective Georgian foes. This is what Volkanovski said: 

We're both fighting Georgians, so gotta fix them up. I’m going to fix him up, and you are going to fix that one up.
Alexander Volkanovski via UFC Embedded
YouTube video

Cejudo flashed a cheeky grin and agreed they’d “beat the Georgians.” The lighthearted exchange demonstrated mutual respect between icons. Alexander Volkanovski battles rising contender Ilia Topuria in Saturday’s main event for the UFC featherweight title. Cejudo is set to fight Topuria’s countrymen, Merab Dvalishvili. This will most likely be a title shot eliminator for the UFC bantamweight title.

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The outspoken Topuria continues aiming for what he calls an inevitable takeover. Dvalishvili is a formidable force with an excellent wrestling background. Fans anticipate an action-packed clash for these bouts slated for UFC 298.

Henry Cejudo allegedly fired long-time coach live on camera

Henry Cejudo had recently made the shocking decision to part ways with longtime coach Eric Albarracin. This decision had come just weeks before his highly anticipated return bout at UFC 298. Cejudo unceremoniously fired Albarracin despite their long history together.

Henry Cejudo recently fired his longtime coach
Henry Cejudo recently fired his longtime coach (via BVM Sports)

In a video released this week, Henry Cejudo bluntly ended their coach-athlete relationship. He felt Albarracin had become too comfortable and wanted to keep it strictly business going into UFC 298. The stakes couldn’t be higher for the comeback of Cejudo. His desire to return to glory has seemingly driven a wedge between fighter and coach. It remains to be seen if Cejudo’s decision to shake up the pre-fight dynamics will yield positive results or result in negative consequences.

The bizarre timing of the split raised eyebrows. However, a new video circulated online kind of shows them getting back together. It remains to be seen if the whole firing was a publicity stunt.

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