Tag: Aljamain Sterling

Aljamain Sterling plans to send Henry Cejudo back to retirement at UFC 288: ‘I think he disappears again’

Aljamain Sterling claims Henry Cejudo’s impending retirement snapping return at UFC 288 next weekend, won’t last necessarily long – planning to send the Olympic gold medalist back to the sidelines with a bantamweigh title retention in May.

Headlining the promotion’s pay-per-view event to Newark, New Jersey, Sterling looks to become the first bantamweight champion in UFC history to rack up three consecutive successful title defense, taking on former champion and former flyweight gold holder, Cejudo at the Prudential Cetner.

Taking co-main event honors at UFC 280 back in October in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Sterling stopped common-foe, T.J. Dillashaw with a second round slew of ground strikes.

As for Cejudo, the Los Angeles-born challenger called time on his decorated mixed martial arts career back in 2020, following a successful bantamweight title defense against former gold holder, Dominick Cruz in Jacksonville, Florida.

Aljamain Sterling expects timely retirement from Henry Cejudo after UFC 288

Headlining in ‘The Garden State’ next month against Sterling, Cejudo has been touted to return to retirement if he proves unsuccessful in his quest for bantamweight gold as per the former.

“Henry (Cejudo) can say whatever he wants,” Aljamain Sterling told MMA Fighting during a recent interview. “I think I’ve shown that even if the world is against me, I’m going to fight back. I’ll chirp back and nothing is going to get inside my head and nothing’s going to deter me from doing and believing what I believe in.”

“I think [after UFC 288] Henry Cejudo disappears into the darkness again, going into the abyss depending on how bad he gets his ass whooped,” Aljamain Sterling explained. “That’s what I really do think.” 

Remaining supremely confident of clinching bantamweight gold for the second time during his Octagon tenure, Cejudo claimed he was “robbing the bank” in his return against Sterling next weekend in New Jersey.

Former two-weight champion, Henry Cejudo appears supremely confident of a victory over champion, Aljamain Sterling in their UFC 288 headliner next month – predicting a stoppage triumph before the championship rounds.

Cejudo, a former undisputed bantamweight and flyweight titleholder, retired from mixed martial arts competition back in May 2020 following a successful title defense against fellow former gold holder, Dominick Cruz.

Henry Cejudo envisions dominant victory over Aljamain Sterling

Set to snap that three-year surprise retirement from the sport next weekend atop a UFC 288 pay-per-view event at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey – Cejudo expects to force the issue against champion, Sterling inside three rounds to reclaim bantamweight spoils.

“I see Aljamain Sterling – I see a damn Benjamin,” Henry Cejudo told ESPN during a recent interview. “I see T.J. Dillashaw, I see a damn Benjamin. “I’m just here to rob the bank and that’s a reality. That’s how I feel and that’s what I’m gonna do on May 6. because Aljamain’s just not at my level and I love it. As a matter of fact, UFC actually hired me as a hitman to take this dude out. Did the UFC really want to give me a title shot? ‘No, but Henry, you’re stylistically the best matchup and we want him out of here.’ I’m like, alright. Let me put on my gloves. I’m gonna go out and get that job done.”

“…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,” Henry Cejudo explained. “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.” 

As for Uniondale native, Sterling, the Serra-Longo MMA staple has already chalked up successful bantamweight title defenses against former champions, Petr Yan, and the above-mentioned common-foe, Dillashaw since assuming the throne back in 2021. 

Despite retiring from mixed martial arts over three years ago, former two-weight UFC champion, Henry Cejudo, has opened as a betting favorite to reclaim bantamweight gold next month against current champion, Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288.

Cejudo, a former undisputed bantamweight and flyweight gold holder under the banner of the UFC, is booked to take main event honors at UFC 288 in the opening week of May in Newark, New Jersey – snapping a three-year-plus hiatus from active competition at the Prudential Center.

Last competing back in May 2020, Henry Cejudo, an Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling to boot, most recently knocked back former two-time bantamweight best, Dominick Cruz with a second round TKO at UFC 249.

And in the immediate aftermath of the victory, Henry Cejudo, who lofted both flyweight and bantamweight gold inside the Octagon in Jacksonville, Florida – confirmed his intentions to retire from mixed martial arts competition with immediate effect, relinquishing both championships in the weeks after his win.

However, booked to headline UFC 288 in a months’ time in New Jersey, former duel-weight champion, Henry Cejudo, who will ride a six-fight long run of victories in his comeback outing against Sterling – both opened and currently sits as a betting favorite over the Uniondale champion. 

Currently, many markets – including those who accommodate you to bet on dota 2 with thunderpick, have listed Henry Cejudo as a narrow betting favorite (-120) to triumphantly return with a title win over champion, Sterling, who sits as a betting underdog (+100) at the time of publication. 

Henry Cejudo’s first title victory came back in 2018

16-2 as a professional, Los Angeles native, Henry Cejudo’s first taste of Octagon gold came in the form of a stunning rematch win over inaugural flyweight champion, Demetrious Johnson in a summer 2018 re-run, defeating the decorated Kentucky native in a close, split decision victory.

Meeting common-foe, T.J. Dillashaw – who then laid claim to the undisputed bantamweight title in his first attempted defense of the flyweight crown on the promotion’s ESPN network debut, Henry Cejudo dispatched the Angels Camp veteran with a blistering 32-second knockout in 2019.

Winning the vacant bantamweight title back in June of that year, Henry Cejudo rallied to take out recent PFL feature, Marlon Moraes, stopping the Nova Friburgo striker with a series of ground strikes in round three after pressing the Brazilian with relentless wrestling.

In search of Octagon history next month, the defending bantamweight champion, Sterling will look to become the first division champion to defend his title successfully on three consecutive occasions. 

Winning undisputed gold in debated fashion courtesy of an infamous disqualification victory over Dudinka native, Petr Yan back in March 2021, Sterling has since rematched the Russian in a title unification fight, defending and unifying the division belts.

In his most recent walk, Sterling managed to add to his dizzing winning run, notching consecutive victory number eight with a second round ground strikes win over an injury hampered Dillashaw on ‘Fight Island’ in Abu Dhabi, UAE in October of last year at UFC 280. 

Charles Oliveira makes his Octagon return at UFC 288

Also appearing on the card in another rather high-profile pairing; UFC 280 headliner, Charles Oliveira makes his return for the first time since seeing his 12-fight division winning run halted by current lightweight titleholder, Islam Makhachev.

Attempting to kickstart another title siege, the former undisputed kingpin is tasked with hitting the brakes on the surging, Beneil Dariush’s own pursuit, with the duo taking co-main event honors in ‘The Garden State’. 

Submitting to a second round arm-triangle in a vacant lightweight title fight against Makhachev back in October of last year, Oliveira had successfully defended the crown in a submission win over Dustin Poirier, before dropping the belt to the scales before submitting another former interim titleholder, Justin Gaethje, back in May of last year. 

As for Dariush, the Iranian-born contender has embarked on an eight-fight winning run since a 2018 KO loss to Alexander Hernandez, most recently defeating Polish favorite, Mateusz Gamrot – also on that aforenoted UFC 280 flagship event last October.

And at the time of publication, the Sao Paulo native – a perennial underdog, continues in that vein at UFC 288, sitting as a narrow betting underdog (+106) to defeat the favorite (-126) Dariush on May 6. in Newark. 

Winning vacant lightweight title spoils himself back in May 2021, Oliveira, the most prolific submission artist and outright finisher in the antiquity of the UFC, rallied from a poor opening round against Michael Chandler – stopping The Ultimate Fighter 31 opposing coach with a stunning second round KO in the opening exchanges of the frame. 

Returning to the Octagon in December of that annum in his sole walk as a defending gold holder, Oliveira, in typical ‘Do Bronx’ fashion to boot – survived an adversity filled opening frame, eventually scaling the above-mentioned, Poirier’s back in the third round – latching onto a standing rear-naked choke victory.