Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo Targeted for UFC 288 on May 6

A bantamweight title bout pitting reigning champ Aljamain Sterling against Henry Cejudo has been targeted for UFC 288 on May 6.

Multiple outlets confirmed the booking after Sterling announced it on his podcast. The May 6 date hasn’t been officially announced by the promotion, but it is expected to be a pay-per-view event. Sterling and Cejudo were initially rumored to meet earlier this year, but “The Funkmaster” revealed that he would need more time to heal from a torn bicep, putting that timeline on hold. UFC 288 doesn’t have a location or venue.

“I can’t wait for this matchup, because I think that it’s two guys that won’t back down, and I think the wrestling might cancel each other out – we will see if I’m able to rag-doll him,” Sterling said on Monday. “We’re going to figure it out in the first five 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 [our fists] to the test and show the world what high-level grapplers can actually do when it comes to striking.


“I know you guys were impressed with [Kamaru] Usman vs. Colby Covington, that was a striker’s delight, and I would not be surprised if this fight is exactly the same way.”

Sterling is coming off a second-round TKO of T.J. Dillashaw in a bantamweight title defense at UFC 280 this past October. The Serra-Longo Fight Team member has won eight consecutive bouts in UFC competition, a run that includes triumphs over the likes of Petr Yan (twice), Cory Sandhagen, Pedro Munhoz and Jimmie Rivera.

A former title holder at both flyweight and bantamweight, Cejudo has not competed since a second-round TKO of Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 in May 2020. The Olympic gold medalist announced his retirement after the victory, relinquishing his 135-pound belt in the process. Cejudo has won six straight bouts dating back to September 2017, a run that features victories against Marlon Moraes, Dillashaw, Demetrious Johnson and Sergio Pettis.