Ex-UFC Champ vs. New Superstar: ‘You’re Next!’

Boxing Champ Teofimo Lopez

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A retired UFC champion issued a stunning challenge to boxing’s new undisputed lightweight champion Teofimo “Takeover” Lopez just a day after the “next Floyd Mayweather” defeated Vasiliy Lomachenko in the biggest boxing match of the year.

Henry Cejudo is one of only seven fighters in modern UFC history to have won a UFC title in more than one division and one of only four “champ champ” fighters to ever hold two UFC championships at the same time.

Now, it seems the retired 33-year-old UFC star aims to take his talents across the aisle into the world of professional boxing against boxing’s first undisputed 135-pound champion in over 30 years.

Cejudo posted a video of himself congratulating Lopez for the big victory Saturday night before issuing his stern challenge to boxing’s newest superstar.

“Teofimo, congratulations, you’re part of the Triple C sweepstakes,” Cejudo said. “Because you’re next to bend the knee to Triple C.”

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Lopez Isn’t Against Crossover UFC vs. Boxing Matches

Before stunningly defeating Lomachenko on Saturday night at The Bubble at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Lopez revealed to Heavy in an exclusive interview how he felt about crossover battles between UFC fighters and professional boxers.

“Combat sports is all about entertainment now,” Lopez said.

“And I think that comes from Floyd Mayweather…I guess it’s good for the sports because now we’re able to have two combats that a lot of people are always talking about, UFC fighters and professional boxers, they talk about who will win in the match if they were to fight.”

So Cejudo might be in luck with his latest callout because all that Lopez said he was waiting on in regards to making his own Mayweather vs. McGregor superfight a reality, at least when Heavy asked him about it, was being called out by a UFC superstar.

Now, it’s happened.

“Yeah. Who knows?… I’m always up for the challenge,” Lopez said. That’s always been what I’m about me…I’d rather settle that in the ring or, if we got to, we can do it in the Octagon.”

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Cejudo’s Busy Retirement

Cejudo retired at the top of his game after defeating Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 in May to defend his UFC bantamweight crown.

Regardless, Cejudo has been super busy with callouts since calling it quits on his UFC career to the point that it’s almost considered silly at this point to even suggest he’s actually done fighting.

In fact, before Cejudo announced his UFC retirement earlier this year there were thoughts among many observers in the sport that the whole thing was just a ploy to get paid more for his fights.

That view would seem to have at least some amount of merit at this point.

Still, despite Cejudo actively calling out UFC champs such as UFC flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo, UFC bantamweight champ Petr Yan and UFC featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski over recent months, the UFC apparently isn’t biting.

But now Cejudo has expanded his search to include the world of professional boxers. That started when Cejudo challenged rising lightweight boxing contender and social media star Ryan Garcia over the summer and has now culminated in the former UFC champ daring to challenge Lopez.

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