Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Check out the best photos from Yan Xiaonan’s first-round TKO win over Jessica Andrade at UFC 288 in Newark, N.J.
Check out the best photos from [autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag]’s first-round TKO win over [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] at UFC 288 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. (Photos by Ed Mulholland, USA TODAY Sports)
Check out what the UFC 288 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.
NEWARK, N.J. – UFC 288 took place Saturday with 12 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner and guest fighter interviews from Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
You can hear from all the UFC 288 winners and more by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.
Analyzing Saturday’s UFC 288 odds and lines between Jessica Andrade and Yan Xiaonan, with MMA picks, tips and predictions.
In a women’s strawweight bout on the main card, Jessica Andrade and Yan Xiaonan meet Saturday at UFC 288 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC 288: Andrade vs. Yan odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.
The early prelims are on ESPN+ at 6:30 p.m. ET, with prelims on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET. The main card can be viewed on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET.
Andrade is likely hungry to get back in to the octagon after a shocking Round 2 submission loss to Erin Blanchfield last time out in the main event in mid-February on a fight night card. “Bate Estaca” is just 4-4 across the past 8 bouts, although she had won 3 in a row prior to the Blanchfield setback.
In addition, Andrade has had just a single fight go the distance in the past 6, and 8 stoppages across the previous 10 bouts.
Yan slapped the brakes on a 2-bout losing skid with a majority-decision win over Mackenzie Dern last time out in the main event of a fight night card in early October. Since arriving at the UFC level, Yan has ended up going the distance in 8 of her 9 fights.
Andrade holds a 6.84-to-5.45 significant strikes landed per minute advantage, and she is much more accurate, too, at 57.20% to just 49.54% for Yan. Andrade is also more likely to record a takedown, posting a 2.64-to-0.87 takedown average margin, although Yan is more accurate in the category.
Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:05 a.m. ET.
[gambcom-standard rankid=”3011″ ]
[gambcom-standard rankid=”3012″ ]
Records: Andrade (24-10-0) | Yan (16-3-0)
Look for Andrade (-185) to get well against Yan (+150) in his main card offering, although I’m not willing to risk nearly 2 times my potential return. My personal limit for a standalone wager is -180, and this is just a little too pricey for my liking.
Instead, PASS on the 2-way line, and look to the method of victory instead. ANDRADE ON POINTS (+200) for a chance to double up is much more appealing.
Take YES: FIGHT TO GO THE DISTANCE (-135), as Yan has had 8 of her 9 bouts at the UFC level decided by the judges, with only a KO/TKO against Carla Esparza as the lone stoppage on May 22, 2021.
There is risk here, however, as Andrade has had the judges involved just once in the past 6 outings, so proceed with caution and go lightly.
Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.
[gambcom-standard rankid=”5″ ]
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and us on Facebook.
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The “Embedded” fight-week video series is back to document what’s happening behind the scenes at UFC 288 in Newark, N.J.
The UFC is back with its sixth pay-per-view of the year, which means the popular “Embedded” fight-week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.
UFC 288 takes place Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.
In the main event, bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) takes on former two-division champion [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC), who is returning after a retirement of nearly three years.
In the co-feature, [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] (22-5 MMA, 15-5 UFC) fights for the third time so far in 2023 and second time in a month when he takes on [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) in a key welterweight bout. Plus, former women’s strawweight champ [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] (24-10 MMA, 15-8 UFC) meets [autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC).
The fifth episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight night. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:
Gilbert Burns, Belal Muhammad and Jessica Andrade analyze their fights at media day. Things get heated between champ Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo at the press conference.
Also see:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 288.
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Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC 288 main card in Newark, including bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo.
| Sterling vs. Cejudo |
Burns vs. Muhammad |
Andrade vs. Xiaonan |
Evloev vs. Lopes |
Gracie vs. Jourdain |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 65-45 |
 Cejudo (61%) |
 Burns (66%) |
 Andrade (70%) |
 Evloev (91%) |
 Gracie (54%) |
| Matt Erickson @MattE 71-39 |
 Sterling |
 Muhammad |
Andrade |
Evloev |
 Jourdain |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 70-40 |
Cejudo |
Burns |
Andrade |
Evloev |
Gracie |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 70-40 |
Sterling |
Muhammad |
Andrade |
Evloev |
Gracie |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 68-42 |
Cejudo |
Burns |
Andrade |
Evloev |
Jourdain |
| Matthew Wells @MrMWells 67-43 |
Sterling |
Muhammad |
Andrade |
Evloev |
Gracie |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 65-45  2014 Champion |
Cejudo |
Muhammad |
Andrade |
Evloev |
Jourdain |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 63-47 |
Cejudo |
Burns |
Andrade |
Evloev |
Jourdain |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway -62-48 2018, 2022 Champion |
Cejudo |
Burns |
 Xiaonan |
Evloev |
Jourdain |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 61-49 |
Cejudo |
Burns |
Andrade |
Evloev |
Jourdain |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 60-50 |
Cejudo |
Muhammad |
Andrade |
Evloev |
Gracie |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 60-50 2017 Champion |
Cejudo |
Burns |
Andrade |
Evloev |
Jourdain |
The UFC is back on the East Coast this week with the bantamweight title up for grabs for an ex-champ coming out of retirement.
UFC 288 takes place Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
In the main event, bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) puts his title on the line against former two-division champ and Olympic gold medalist [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC), who is ending his retirement of nearly three years.
The fight essentially is a pick’em at the betting window. If books don’t have the fight even, there are about as many who have Sterling a slight favorite as there are those that have Cejudo a slight favorite. But our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have it as a blowout for the former champ, Cejudo, at 8-3.
In the co-feature, [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] (22-5 MMA, 15-5 UFC) meets [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) in a bout that Dana White has said will determine the next welterweight title challenger – after Colby Covington. Burns, who retired Jorge Masvidal just a month ago, returns for a fight that was booked on a little more than two weeks’ notice. Burns is a slight betting favorite and he has the smallest possible edge in the picks at 6-5.
Also on the main card, former women’s strawweight champion [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] (24-10 MMA, 15-8 UFC) is a 2-1 favorite in her fight against [autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC), but she’s not a unanimous pick. One of our staff members has Xiaonan in an upset.
[autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] (16-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) is as much as a 10-1 favorite from the oddsmakers in his featherweight fight against [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who took the bout on just a few days’ notice when Bryce Mitchell pulled out. Not surprisingly, Evloev is our only unanimous pick.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Kron Gracie[/autotag] (5-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) takes on [autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag] (13-6-1 MMA, 4-5-1 UFC) at featherweight. Jourdain is around a -175 favorite, and he’s got a 7-4 lead from our pickers.
In the MMA Junkie consensus picks, Cejudo (61 percent), Burns (66 percent), Andrade (70 percent), Evloev (91 percent) and Gracie (54 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 288.
Yan Xiaonan sees title implications with a win at UFC 288.
MORRISTOWN, N.J. – [autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag] sees title implications with a win at UFC 288.
Xiaonan (16-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) takes on former strawweight champion [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] (24-10 MMA, 15-8 UFC) in Saturday’s featured main card bout at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.
With her last three wins coming over Mackenzie Dern, Claudia Gadelha, and Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Xiaonan hopes beating Andrade earns her a shot at strawweight champ Zhang Weili.
“This fight is very important to me,” Xiaonan said Wednesday during UFC 288 media day through an interpreter. “And I think this fight, either me or Jessica or the winner, one more step closer to the title. The winner should be one step closer to the title fight. … Maybe the winner of this fight can be the next title challenger if Dana (White) wants that.”
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Andrade has wins at strawweight, flyweight, and bantamweight. The former UFC strawweight champion has recently alternated between strawweight and flyweight, but Xiaonan thinks 115 pounds is the right division for the Brazilian.
“I think strawweight is the best division for Jessica because she doesn’t have enough size advantage in flyweight or bantamweight,” Xiaonan said. “So I think she fits this division naturally, and I also think she’s one of the best fighters in this division because she is a former champion who also fought a lot of tough opponents.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 288.
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The “Embedded” fight-week video series is back to document what’s happening behind the scenes at UFC 288 in Newark, N.J.
The UFC is back with its sixth pay-per-view of the year, which means the popular “Embedded” fight-week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.
UFC 288 takes place Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.
In the main event, bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) takes on former two-division champion [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC), who is returning after a retirement of nearly three years.
In the co-feature, [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] (22-5 MMA, 15-5 UFC) fights for the third time so far in 2023 and second time in a month when he takes on [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) in a key welterweight bout. Plus, former women’s strawweight champ [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] (24-10 MMA, 15-8 UFC) meets [autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC).
The fourth episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight night. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:
Champion Aljamain Sterling pushes himself in the heat and on Hot 97. Charles Jourdain, Gilbert Burns and Diego Lopes start their fight-week obligations. Henry Cejudo keeps it cringe with Kron Gracie.
Also see:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 288.
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Aljamain Sterling’s media obligations conclude with a trip to the site of UFC 288, where he and some friends have a snowball fight at a Devils game.
The UFC is back with its sixth pay-per-view of the year, which means the popular “Embedded” fight-week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.
UFC 288 takes place Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.
In the main event, bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) takes on former two-division champion [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC), who is returning after a retirement of nearly three years.
In the co-feature, [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] (22-5 MMA, 15-5 UFC) fights for the third time so far in 2023 and second time in a month when he takes on [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) in a key welterweight bout. Plus, former women’s strawweight champ [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] (24-10 MMA, 15-8 UFC) meets [autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC).
The third episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:
Champ Aljamain Sterling does media in NYC. Gilbert Burns packs. Henry Cejudo checks in for fight week. Belal Muhammad makes his way to the East Coast. Aljo caps the day with a snowball fight.
Also see:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 288.
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Check out the numbers behind UFC 288, where Henry Cejudo will attempt to add to his legacy in his bantamweight title headliner.
The UFC returns to New Jersey for the first time in nearly four years Saturday with UFC 288, which takes place at Prudential Center in Newark with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
The bantamweight championship will be on the line in the main event. Reigning titleholder [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) will attempt to record his third consecutive defense when he welcomes former two-division champion [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) back after a three-year retirement.
For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts for UFC 288.
Henry Cejudo reveals just how confident he’s feeling in the second episode of UFC 288 “Embedded.”
The UFC is back with its sixth pay-per-view of the year, which means the popular “Embedded” fight-week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.
UFC 288 takes place Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.
In the main event, bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) takes on former two-division champion [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC), who is returning after a retirement of nearly three years.
In the co-feature, [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] (22-5 MMA, 15-5 UFC) fights for the third time so far in 2023 and second time in a month when he takes on [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) in a key welterweight bout. Plus, former women’s strawweight champ [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] (24-10 MMA, 15-8 UFC) meets [autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC).
The second episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:
Henry Cejudo flies cross-country. Gilbert Burns trains with Kamaru Usman. Belal Muhammad stays competitive. Champ Aljamain Sterling makes a bridge and tunnel trip to New Jersey. The headliners size each other up.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 288.
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