UFC bantamweight greats Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo shared a staredown last night at PFL 10 2022. ‘Funkmaster’ Sterling is the current reigning champion of the UFC bantamweight division while Cejudo vacated his title in 2020. The two seem set to fight in 2023.
See below for the full video:
“Aljamain Sterling & Henry Cejudo Face Off At 2022 PFL Championship.”
Is Aljamain Sterling vs Henry Cejudo booked?
Rumors have been kicking around for weeks that the Olympic wrestling gold medalist Henry Cejudo will be making his UFC return in 2023 in a title match showdown against Aljamain Sterling. According to MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz, the ink is dry on this one. In an interview with John Morgan, Abdelaziz claimed:
“And I can’t wait for my boy, ‘Triple C’ (Henry Cejudo) to come back. I like Aljo (Aljamain Sterling), I consider Aljo as a friend. Aljo is fighting Henry Cejudo – it’s done, you know, it’s done. It’s just – the UFC said it’s done, he knows it’s done.”
In addition to being the youngest American wrestler to ever medal in Olympic history, Cejudo also made history during his time in the UFC becoming one of the few to hold simultaneous world championship titles. Both of which he vacated to enjoy retirement. Cejudo was recently seen training alongside his former rival ‘Mighty Mouse’ Demetrious Johnson. Cejudo was helping ‘Mighty Mouse’ win the ONE Championship throne.
Aljamain Sterling is the current UFC bantamweight world champion with impressive wins over Petr Yan, T.J. Dillashaw, Cory Sandhagen, and others.
Abdelaziz continued:
“I understand he wants a different fight, but he (Henry Cejudo) never lost his belt, he’s a two-time champion – defended both his belts. And he left on his own. He didn’t leave cause he lost or was injured, he just needed time off. And guess what, I think he will defend this title – it’s a champion versus champion, ‘cause he never lost his belt. And I disagree with Aljamain, I think it’s a big fight. It’s a tougher fight, he knows that, and I know that. I don’t think Aljamain shied from an opponent, I think he tried to make Henry sweat. But I already know what’s up – he’s fighting Henry.”