Tag: ufc 288

Henry Cejudo remains skeptical about Aljamain Sterling, tells Sean O’Malley to stay ready for May 6

While Henry Cejudo has a verbal commitment from UFC champ Aljamain Sterling, he won’t believe their fight is happening until pen hits paper.

[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] is skeptical about fighting UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] next.

Although Sterling (22-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) announced that he’s fighting Cejudo (16-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) on May 6, Cejudo isn’t buying it until the contract is signed from both ends. “Triple C” put pen to paper but said Sterling is yet to do the same.

Sterling and Cejudo had been linked to a matchup for UFC 285 on March 4, but Sterling wanted to address some injuries before returning. Chomping at the bit to fight for the title is No. 1 contender [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag], and Cejudo says he’ll be preparing for his style, too, in case he doesn’t end up fighting Sterling.

“Aljamain Sterling, is he ready? Does he really want that smoke? Because quite frankly, I really don’t think Aljamain Sterling wants that smoke,” Cejudo said on his YouTube channel. “So at the same time, the only thing I could say to Sean O’Malley (is) ‘stay ready, stay prepared.’

“Obviously I’m going to be training for Aljamain Sterling – as soon as the fight gets announced, as soon as it’s not just verbally said, but there’s a signature on there and the fight is sealed and everything is good. But at the same time, there is that precaution that Aljamain may not show up. Typically I don’t do things like that, but I will adjust just in case that Aljamain Sterling pulls out of this fight.”

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Cejudo, a former dual champ, will attempt to reclaim the bantamweight title he vacated when he retired after stopping Dominick Cruz in May 2020. Meanwhile, Sterling will look to add another former champion to his resume after scoring a dominant TKO win over T.J. Dillashaw to retain his title last October at UFC 280.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 288.

Bottom line: UFC champ Aljamain Sterling thinks he has ‘more ways to win’ vs. Henry Cejudo

Aljamain Sterling respects Henry Cejudo but simply believes he’s better all around, and “that’s going to be the difference in this fight.”

UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] is confident that he’ll beat [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] wherever the fight goes.

Sterling (22-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) announced that he will defend his title against Cejudo (16-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) on May 6, which is expected to be UFC 288. Sterling is going up against a former UFC dual champion and Olympic gold medalist wrestler in Cejudo, but “The Funkmaster” is confident in his own grappling.

“I’m fighting May 6 against Henry Cejudo,” Sterling said on his YouTube channel. “I’m looking forward to the challenge. Again, I think Henry is a very tough dude, very accomplished in the wrestling world, I think also in the MMA world.”

“I think the wrestling might cancel each other out – might. We will see if I’m actually able to rag-doll him. We’re gonna figure out in the first 5 minutes and from there, we’ll figure out if we want to waste a ton of energy grappling, or do we want to put these (hands) to the test and show the world what high-level grapplers can do when it comes to striking?”

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Sterling previously admitted that a fight against Cejudo didn’t move him, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t view him as a big challenge. Sterling is coming off a dominant TKO win over former champ T.J. Dillashaw and urges people to stop underestimating him.

“I don’t give a sh*t about the cringe and all that,” Sterling said. “I’m taking you very, very seriously, and I cannot wait to put my shin across your head and show you that you’re good, but you are just not on my level. … I know you are good in the grappling, clinch work and things like that. You can say whatever you want to say (about) my wrestling and talk about my striking and all this.”

He continued, “I think my range is gonna be a problem. I think you’re tough, I think you’re durable, you showed that in the Marlon Moraes fight, but I just think I have more ways to win, and I think that’s going to be the difference in this fight.”

Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo title fight targeted for UFC’s May 6 event

Henry Cejudo will get a title shot in his return from retirement when he challenges Aljamain Sterling for the bantamweight belt in May.

[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] will get a championship opportunity in his return to the octagon from retirement when he challenges [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] for the bantamweight title this spring.

Sterling on Monday said on his “Weekly Scrap” podcast (H/T Twitter user Nic Ouanga) that the fight will take place May 6, though he did not say where the bout will take place. If the fight is part of a pay-per-view, as expected, it likely would be UFC 288.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup confirmed it’s targeted to MMA Junkie, with contracts expected to be issued and signed soon. The people asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announced.

Cejudo (16-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC), a former two-division UFC champion who walked away from the sport in May 2020 with the 135-pound belt in his possession, is set to make his highly anticipated comeback against Sterling (22-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC).

Cejudo, 35, has teased a return to competition for the past few years, but it only became a reality in the latter portion of 2022 when he re-entered the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) testing pool. After retiring as champ following his knockout win over Dominick Cruz at UFC 249, Cejudo, an Olympic gold medalist in wrestling, has transitioned into a coaching role with notable success.

He’ll attempt to regain the title he never lost in the cage against Sterling, 33, who will try for a third consecutive title defense during this reign. After he won the belt by disqualification against Petr Yan in March 2021, Sterling has racked up wins over Yan in a rematch and, most recently, T.J. Dillashaw.

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Bryce Mitchell vs. Jonathan Pearce booked for May 6 UFC event

We’ll find out how Bryce Mitchell responds to the first loss of his career when he meets the streaking Jonathan Pearce.

How will UFC featherweight standout [autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag] respond to the first loss of his career? We’ll find out in May.

Mitchell (15-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) has booked his next fight against the streaking [autotag]Jonathan Pearce[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 5-1 UFC) for a UFC event May 6. The card does not yet have a known location or venue, but reportedly will be UFC 288.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie, but asked to remain anonymous since the UFC has yet to announce the fight. Instagram user BRKRZ was first to share the news.

Mitchell, 28, started his MMA career 15-0 until his first loss in his most recent fight, a second-round submission to Ilia Topuria this past December at UFC 282. Afterward, Mitchell chalked up his performance to a bout with the flu that he said disrupted his training camp. He said he regretted going through with the fight and added that he had no choice because of financial woes. Despite the setback, Mitchell remains No. 12  in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie featherweight rankings.

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While unranked Pearce, 30, is considered a step down in competition, he’s been on the rise ever since he lost his UFC debut in October 2019. Pearce, a Dana White’s Contender Series alum, has won five fights in a row, including three in 2022: a decision vs. Christian Rodriguez, a TKO of Makwan Amirkhani and a decision vs. Darren Elkins in his most recent fight this past December.

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