After three years away from the octagon, Henry Cejudo returns to action to reclaim a title he never truly lost. Cejudo faces UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling for the title at UFC 288 on May 6.
UFC 288 is inside the Prudential Center in New Jersey. The event is just a train ride away for the New York native Sterling.
Cejduo, an Olympic gold medalist, held the UFC bantamweight and flyweight titles simultaneously during a wild run between 2018-2020. Retiring in 2020, Cejudo never officially left MMA, training fighters while providing analysis during fights. “Triple C” thinks ring rust will not be a factor, as the 36-year-old believes he will have the edge over Sterling on all fronts.
“In every sense of the word. Power, speed, experience, grit, technique, just all that,” Cejudo told ESPN via MMA Fighting. “Even the looks. I’m just better in every area than this guy. Aljamain knows I’m the guy out of everybody on the whole roster, whether he wants to say he’s gonna put me out in two rounds or I don’t deserve it, I’m letting you babysit my belt. He knows that I’m just the toughest matchup stylistically. I know he knows what I’m capable of doing. This fight doesn’t go past three rounds."
MORE: Sign up to watch the UFC 288 PPV, exclusively on ESPN+
Sterling, 33, is on an eight-fight win streak and has successfully defended the bantamweight title twice. "Funk Master" has had several detractors since he won the belt following a DQ win against Petr Yan, but he is blocking out the noise. The age his opponent was when he retired, Sterling is confident of his abilities against an older Cejudo, who may be off his game.
"I know he's putting in a lot of serious work, but I don't know if he's going to be Henry Cejudo of three years ago,” Sterling told ESPN via Sportskeeda. The same speed, the same strength. He might be a little bit slower. His reaction time might be a little bit slower."
Outside of the main event, several matches with title implications will be on the main card. Here is a look into the entire main card of UFC 288: Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo
UFC 288 undercard
Belal Muhammad vs. Gilbert Burns
- Division/Weight: Welterweight
- Muhammad record: 22-3 with one no-contest
- Burns record: 22-5
The co-main event will be Belal Muhammad vs. Gilbert Burns, with the winner potentially earning a shot at the UFC welterweight title. Colby Covington will currently be the one to get a title shot against Leon Edwards, the champion. This fight, a rare five-round co-main event, replaces Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush, moved due to an injury to Oliveira.
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Muhammad (22-3 with one no-contest) turned pro in 2012 and is a former Titan FC welterweight champion. Joining the UFC in 2016, he is 13-3 with one no-contest for the promotion. "Remember the Name" is on a nine-fight unbeaten streak since 2019, and since fighting Edwards to a no-contest, he has won four in a row.
Muhammad's last bout was in October, beating Sean Brady via TKO.
"This is my title fight. I know [if] I beat him, I’m fighting for the title. This is my biggest moment. I wanted it to be five rounds so it could feel like that big moment,” Muhammad told MMA Fighting. “It’s all on the line for this one for me. It’s all or nothing, and I’m going all in. So I want this fight to be a five-rounder because the winner of this fight is going to be fighting for the title anyway. I don’t want nothing but championship rounds. Because I’m a champion. I needed it to be five rounds.”
A three-time World Jiu-Jitsu Championship medalist (one gold, two silver), Burns (22-5) turned pro in 2012. The Brazilian joined the UFC in 2014 and is 15-5 with the promotion. “Durinho” is 3-2 in his last five and is on a two-fight win streak. His last bout was at the beginning of April, beating Jorge Masvidal at UFC 277.
Burns told media at the UFC 277 post-fight press conference that he wants to fight for the welterweight title. He might force UFC brass to change their minds with a memorial performance.
“I’m going to fight my way in, and like I said at the beginning of the year after my fight in Rio, I’m not asking, I’m not complaining, I’m not [begging], ‘Please give me a title shot.’ No, I want to earn it. I want to earn it by hard work. I’m going to outwork all these guys,” Burns said. "They might give [the title shot] to Colby, it is what it is, I’m not going to complain. I’m going to keep working. Three fights, three and a half months, these guys don’t fight for so long.
“All these guys, I’m lapping. I remember Kamaru [Usman] saying he’s lapping everybody. Now it’s my turn. I’m lapping everybody. The whole welterweight division, the whole UFC, and I’m planning on keep doing that.”
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Jessica Andrade vs. Yan Xiaonan
- Division/Weight: Strawweight
- Andrade record: 24-10
- Xiaonan record: 16-3 with one no-contest
A strawweight bout is on the main card, as Jessica Andrade faces Yan Xiaonan. Andrade (24-10), ranked fourth in the division, turned pro in 2011. The Brazilian joined the UFC in 2013 and is 15-8 with the promotion. A multi-time title contender, Andrade beat Rose Namajunas in 2019 for the UFC strawweight title but lost it a few months later against Zhang Weili.
Bouncing between strawweight and flyweight, Andrade lost against Erin Blanchfield in February, replacing Taila Santos.
Xiaonan (16-3 with one no-contest), ranked sixth, turned pro in 2008 and became the first Chinese fighter signed by the UFC when she joined the promotion in 2017. The 33-year-old is 7-2 with the UFC and ended a two-fight losing streak in her last fight in October, beating Mackenzie Dern via majority decision.
Movsar Evloev vs. Diego Lopes
- Division/Weight: Featherweight
- Evloev record: 16-0
- Lopes record: 20-5
The featherweights will be in action on the main card as Movsar Evloev faces Diego Lopes. Lopes replaces Mitchell, who had to back out due to an unknown injury. It is not the first time that a fight between Mitchell and Evloev was scrapped.
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Evloev (16-0), ranked tenth in the featherweight division, turned pro in 2014. A former M-1 Global bantamweight champion, the Russian joined the UFC in 2019 and is 6-0 for the promotion. His last bout was a win over Dan Ige in June.
Lopez (20-5) turned pro in 2012. A Dana White's Contender Series alum, the Brazlian lost his first appearance on the show in 2021. Since then, he has gone 2-1 and is on a two-fight win streak. The 28-year-old last fought in November, beating Angel Rodriguez via TKO. He has seven wins via knockout and eleven via submission.
Kron Gracie vs. Charles Jourdain
- Division/Weight: Featherweight
- Gracie record: 5-1
- Jourdain record: 13-6-1
Opening the card will be Kron Gracie vs. Charles Jourdain. A member of the legendary Gracie family, Kron (5-1) won gold at the 2009 European Championships and silver at the World Championships in 2011. With over 29 wins in grappling competitions, Gracie transitioned to MMA in 2014. Going 3-0 with RIZIN, he joined the UFC in 2019, going 1-1. His last bout was against Cub Swanson that year, losing via unanimous decision.
Jourdain (13-6-1) turned pro in 2016. The Canadian is a former TKO featherweight and lightweight champion and joined the UFC in 2019. He is 4-5-1 with the promotion and is on a two-fight losing streak. “Air” Jourdain last fought in September, losing to Nathaniel Wood via unanimous decision.
When is UFC 288: Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo?
- Date: Saturday, May 6 | Sunday, May 7
- FIGHT PASS Prelims: 6 p.m. ET | 11 p.m. BST | 8 a.m. AEST
- Prelims: 8 p.m. ET | 1 a.m. BST | 10 a.m. AEST
- Main card: 10 p.m. ET | 3 a.m. BST | 12 p.m. AEST
- Main event: 12:15 a.m. ET | 5:15 a.m. BST | 2:15 p.m. AEST (approx.)
UFC 288 takes place on May 6. The early prelims start at 6 p.m. ET | 11 p.m. BST | 8 a.m. AEST, followed by the prelims at 8 p.m. ET | 1 a.m. BST | 10 a.m. AEST. The UFC 288 main card will begin at 10 p.m. ET | 3 a.m. BST | 12 p.m. AEST.
Sterling and Cejudo should make their way to the octagon around 12:15 a.m. ET | 5:15 a.m. BST | 2:15 p.m. AEST, depending on how long the undercard fights last.
How to watch UFC 288: Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo
| Country | Date | Channel + Live Stream (main card) |
| United States | Sat. May 6 | ESPN+, ESPN PPV |
| Canada | Sat. May 6 | BELL, Rogers, Shaw, SaskTel, Videotron, Telus, Eastlink, UFC PPV on UFC Fight Pass |
| United Kingdom | Sun. May 7 | BT Sport |
| Australia | Sun. May 7 | Main Event, Kayo Sports, Fetch TV, UFC PPV on UFC Fight Pass |
The main card for UFC 288 is available in the U.S. and Mexico on the ESPN+ subscription streaming service for a pay-per-view cost. Earlier fights are viewable live on ESPN+.
MORE: Sign up to watch the UFC 288 PPV, exclusively on ESPN+
In Canada, the main card pay-per-view is available on BELL, Rogers, Shaw, SaskTel, Videotron, Telus, Eastlink, and UFC PPV on UFC Fight Pass
In the United Kingdom, the main card will be available on BT Sport, with the prelims available on UFC Fight Pass.
In Australia, the main card will be on Main Event, Kayo Sports, Fetch TV, and UFC PPV on UFC Fight Pass.
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