Tag: eric albarracin

Alexander Volkanovski: Henry Cejudo ‘a piece of sh*t’ for firing his coach on camera – if it’s legit

Alexander Volkanovski goes off on Henry Cejudo for firing his coach on camera ahead of UFC 298.

[autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag], like many in the MMA community, was puzzled to see [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] fire his long-time coach, [autotag]Eric Albarracin[/autotag], on camera.

Last week, the UFC released its “Countdown” show in the lead up to UFC 298, which featured many of the usual activities fighters engage in just before a fight. However, UFC 298 “Countdown” came with an unusual wrinkle as Cejudo decided to break the news to Albarracin that he was not going to be part of the team heading into Feb. 17 against Merab Dvalishvili.

This had many upset with the way Cejudo decided to handle letting go of Albarracin, including Volkanovski.

“What? Is that legit or what? Is this some weird way of marketing or promoting?” Volkanovski told The MacLife. “I just don’t get it. In front of the cameras just seems so weird.”

Volkanovski was so taken away by Cejudo’s actions that he questions if the whole thing was just a publicity stunt. But if indeed real, the UFC featherweight champion admits to losing respect for Cejudo.

“I thought he looked like he was taking it in, but I just don’t get it,” Volkanovski said. “You’re an absolute prick if you’re doing that and thought, ‘This would be good content, and I’m going to make the most of this,’ and go out and do that.

“Henry, if this is legit, you are a piece of sh*t, let me tell you that right now. That’s crazy to me. That’s why I don’t believe it. I don’t think he’s that much of a sh*tbag to do that. I don’t think he is.

“I don’t get it. I really don’t get it. It’s crazy to me. Maybe he’s just all about himself, so full of himself that he doesn’t care about anyone around him. Maybe, I don’t know.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

Henry Cejudo parts ways with longtime coach Eric Albarracin ahead of UFC 298

Henry Cejudo is not working with Eric Albarracin ahead of his return at UFC 298.

[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] has made some big changes ahead of his return.

The former two-division champion has parted ways with longtime coach Eric Albarracin ahead of his bout against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 298 on Saturday in Anaheim, Calif. Albarracin was one of several people Cejudo (16-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) dropped in efforts to reduce his team size. The news of the change was revealed during the UFC’s “Countdown” preview show.

“You were with me for my last Olympic trials, and you’ve been there for me, but as of right now, I just want to let you know that for this camp, dude, I’m getting rid of specific coaches – and that’s you included,” Cejudo said to Albarracin.

Albarracin has been working with Cejudo since his wrestling days, well before he started fighting professionally in MMA.

Cejudo, who’s still preparing at Fight Ready in Arizona, said he wanted to trim down his team and keep things simpler ahead of UFC 298.

“Sometimes you get too close to somebody and people just get too comfortable. … Right now, what I want to do in this fight camp is keep it strictly business.”

Cejudo, 36, returns to action after failing to capture the UFC bantamweight title in May 2023 in a competitive fight against then-champion Aljamain Sterling. It was his first fight since he retired in May 2020 after a bantamweight title win over Dominick Cruz.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

Coach Eric Albarracin calls for Patricio ‘Pitbull’ vs. A.J. McKee rematch in Brazil: ‘Let’s switch it up one time’

Eric Albarracin, the coach of Patricio ‘Pitbull’ wants Bellator to run back the A.J. McKee fight at lightweight, but this time, in Brazil.

[autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] dropped his featherweight title to[autotag] A.J. McKee[/autotag] at Bellator 263, but his coach Eric Albarracin wants to run it back in a different atmosphere.

Saturday’s event took place at The Forum in Los Angeles in McKee’s backyard. The arena was filled with fans cheering his name as the challenger to Freire’s crown, something that didn’t quite sit well with Albarracin in the aftermath of the fight.

“Brazilians don’t care, but Americans do, 16 games in the NFL are played to get a home-field advantage, 180 in baseball,” Albarracin said after grabbing the microphone at the post-fight news conference. “He’s the world champ-champ, I mean, when you ask a warrior, ‘Hey, where do you wanna fight?’ They say, ‘Anywhere, anytime.’ But obviously not in the hometown of the challenger giving him all the advantages.”

Entering the cage as a two-division champion, Freire had a lot to lose against a challenger in McKee, who was clearly the fan-favorite inside the arena. McKee trains out of Team Bodyshop in Lakewood, Calif., which is around a 30-minute drive away from The Forum, so naturally, he was going to receive cheers. During his walkout for the main event, Freire was met with boos, creating a hostile environment for a champion to defend his title.

Ultimately, Freire lost one of his titles in a quick fashion, but questions of a rematch taking place at lightweight were asked. While Freire or his coach didn’t seem opposed to the idea, Albarracin wants some things to change if that is the direction the promotion decides to go next.

“(McKee has) The youth, the range, the reach, and then throw the home-field advantage where he’s sleeping and training in his home gym – we traveled 36 hours to get here,” Albarracin continued. “I mean, let’s switch it up one time.”

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If Bellator does travel to Brazil for an event, it would be a first for the promotion.

“Pitbull” isn’t one to bring up those sort of talking points, but he agreed with his coach’s sentiment by taking the microphone back and simply stating, “That’s why he’s my coach. I need someone like him, he’s right.”

Watch Albarracin speak on why he believes evening the playing field makes sense for the rematch in the video above.

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Coach Eric Albarracin: Henry Cejudo will only return Alexander Volkanovski legacy bout

Coach Eric Albarracin says there’s one thing which could bring Henry Cejudo out of retirement.

It seems there’s only one thing that can bring [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] back to MMA.

Cejudo, former UFC bantamweight and flyweight champion, retired in May after defending his 135-pound title against Dominick Cruz in the co-main event of UFC 249.

The retirement caught many by surprise, as Cejudo was considered at the height of his star power. The Olympic wrestling gold medalist said his desire to start a family and focus on personal life, plus wanting higher compensation for his UFC fights, were the main reasons why he was choosing to walk away.

In a recent interview with MMA Junkie Radio, Cejudo’s coach, [autotag]Eric Albarracin[/autotag] said the former two-division champion would consider making a return to MMA for a title fight with featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.

“There’s really only one fighter that will bring him back and that’s Volkanovski,” Albarracin said. “That’s about him doing something that has never ever been done. He’s already done being ‘Triple C’ with the Olympic title and two UFC titles. Nobody is ever going to get that especially the mens, but there are champ-champs – he’s the fourth or fifth champ-champ in the history but theres never been a triple UFC champ in MMA or Bellator.

“So that’s what intrigues him. Henry is a conqueror. Once he conquers something he’s like a viking. He’s ready to conquer the next, so that’s what intrigues him becoming a legend amongst legends and an uncommon person among uncommon people.”

Volkanovski is currently booked to defend his title in a rematch against Max Holloway. Albarracin is unsure if Cejudo would want to challenge for the 145-pound title if Holloway were to defeat Volkanovski, but says there’s definitely interest in the Volkanovski matchup.

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As far as a Cejudo comeback, Albarracin said there hasn’t been any talks or negotiations with the UFC.

Albarracin is confident about how a Cejudo return would go, comparing him to NBA legend Michael Jordan. Albarracin also claims former Bulls coach Phil Jackson called him and gave him permission to call himself the “Phil Jackson of MMA” and Cejudo the “Michael Jordan of MMA.”

“Who’s the Michael Jordan of MMA? Of course it’s Henry Cejudo,” Albarracin said. “How do I know? Because I’m the Phil Jackson of MMA. And how do I know that? Because Phil Jackson called me and said only one person can be the Phil Jackson of MMA and thats the person with all the belts.

“So I think Michael Jordan retired because he won his second three-peat. He came back eventually, so it’s up to the fans. If enough fans want to make it happen, why wouldn’t you put together the greatest fight? Either one comes out a legend at 145. Volkanovski is on a legend tear beating Jose Aldo and Max Holloway. Not that he could beat ‘Triple C,’ but in another universe, if he did beat ‘Triple C,’ he’s a legend. And of course, ‘Triple C’ will become C4 and he accomplishes something that no legend has ever accomplished. That would be a champion in three different weight classes in the UFC. C4, hello. Bye, bye, ‘Triple C.'”

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