UFC 288 PPV “Sterling Vs Cejudo” + Weekly MMA News
UFC Vegas 72 looked like a dull card on a piece of paper, but we’ve seen many stoppages and nice finishes.
UFC Vegas 72 Recap
The main event of the evening was a very fun technical fight, where Song Yadong stopped Ricky Simon with a 5th-round TKO. The Chinese 135er earned the Performance of the Night award too.
He gets the job done in round 5️⃣ !!@SongYadongLFG shows why he is one of the best bantamweights in the division 💥 #UFCVegas72 pic.twitter.com/ytNjeGBim3
— UFC (@ufc) April 30, 2023
Caio Borralho, Marcus McGhee, and Rodolfo Viera banked an extra 50k on their bills too. Borralho was down on the scorecards against Michal Oleksiejczuk in the first round. Yet, the Brazilian flipped the script in the second and scored a choke victory.
PUT SOME RESPECT ON HIS NAME 🗣 !!!@BorralhoCaio gets the submission in Round 2️⃣ #UFCVegas72 pic.twitter.com/2Fsklppav4
— UFC (@ufc) April 30, 2023
We’ve seen pretty much the same scenario in the bout between Cody Brundage and Rodolfo Vieira. Brundage hurt Vieira badly in the first, but the Brazilian survived the onslaught and finished Brundage with a nasty arm-triangle choke in the second.
He turns the tables in R2 to end it!!!!
Rodolfo Vieira coming with a point to prove tonight 👏 #UFCVegas72 pic.twitter.com/5pcwnzxbFF
— UFC (@ufc) April 30, 2023
Marcus McGhee accepted the fight against Journey Newson on short notice and pulled out a massive upset. McGhee surprisingly finished his opponent with a tricky submission.
ON ONLY THREE. DAYS. NOTICE. 😤 #UFCVegas72 pic.twitter.com/L9NUHNONeT
— UFC (@ufc) April 29, 2023
UFC 288 Announcement
This week, the promotion will travel from Las Vegas to Newark, New Jersey, for another pay-per-view event. The upcoming PPV doesn’t lack in star power – it is headlined by the bantamweight title bout between Henry Cejudo and Aljamain Sterling. The preliminary card airs on ESPN/ESPN+, while you can enjoy the main card on ESPN+ PPV.
Image source: @UFCBrasil Twitter
Bantamweight Title Fight – Aljamain Sterling Vs Henry Cejudo
Henry Cejudo is a former 125 and 135-pound division champion and the former Olympic wrestling champ. Cejudo is known for amazing pressure, stunning takedowns, and very quick punches. If he drags the bout to the ground, “Triple C” tries to finish his opponent with a flurry of punches off the top.
Aljamain Sterling’s ultimate weapons are his submission game and amazing footwork and angle-changing. Aljo never stays on the central line, he circles all the time and switches stances occasionally. It is very hard to take him to the ground. Even if you end up on the top of “Aljo”, pay attention to his scrambles and transitions, he is one of the scrappiest names in the division.
Prediction: Sterling to win
Co-Main Event – Gilbert Burns Vs Belal Muhammad
The co-main event of the evening brings the clash of two cardio machines – Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad.
Gilbert Burns is a submission wrestler with BJJ black belt and outstanding kickboxing background. Trained by Glaube Feitosa and Francisco Filho, Burns is known for some of the most devastating leg kicks in the 170-pound division. On the ground, Gilbert constantly threatens with armbars and other submission attempts.
Belal Muhammad is a cardio God with an excellent fight IQ. A very technical fighter with strong punches, great angle-changing, and superb counters. He is an all-around fighter, equally good on the feet and the canvas.
Prediction: over 2.5 rounds
UFC 288 Full Fight Card
Please take a look at the UFC 288 full fight card below. There are many high-level names on Saturday’s card.
Main Card (ESPN+ PPV, 10 PM ET, 3 AM UK time)
UFC Bantamweight Championship: Aljamain Sterling (22-3-0) vs. Henry Cejudo (16-2-0)
Welterweight: Belal Muhammad (22-3-0) vs. Gilbert Burns (22-5-0)
Strawweight: Jéssica Andrade (24-10-0) vs. Xiaonan Yan (16-3-0)
Featherweight: Movsar Evloev (16-0-0) vs. Bryce Mitchell (15-1-0)
Featherweight: Kron Gracie (5-1-0) vs. Charles Jourdain (13-6-1)
Main Card (ESPN/ESPN+/UFC on Fight Pass, 8 PM ET, 1 AM UK time)
Lightweight: Drew Dober (26-11-0) vs. Matt Frevola (10-3-1)
Light Heavyweight: Devin Clark (14-7-0) vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu (11-3-0)
Welterweight: Khaos Williams (13-3-0) vs. Rolando Bedoya (14-1-0)
Strawweight: Marina Rodriguez (16-2-2) vs. Virna Jandiroba (18-3-0)
Main Card (ESPN/ESPN+/UFC on Fight Pass, 6 PM ET, 11 PM UK time)
Heavyweight: Parker Porter (13-8-0) vs. Braxton Smith (5-1-0)
Middleweight: Ikram Aliskerov (13-1-0) vs. Phil Hawes (12-4-0)
Flyweight: Zhalgas Zhumagulov (14-8-0) vs. Rafael Estevam (11-0-0)
Middleweight: Joseph Holmes (8-3-0) vs. Claudio Ribeiro (10-3-0)
Bantamweight: Daniel Santos (10-2-0) vs. Johnny Munoz Jr. (12-2-0)
UFC 288 Predictions
Please check my full card predictions in the playlist below.
There are many high-level battles on the UFC fight card next weekend. Henry Cejudo is looking to reclaim the 135-pound belt, while Gilbert Burns will try to kick Belal Muhammad out of the 170-pound title contention.
The preliminary card is stacked with high-level names and prospects too. Don’t miss UFC 288, and remember, it starts on Saturday at 6 PM ET!
[…] UFC 288 brought many technical bouts, but the 135-pound division belt didn’t change its owner. After five rounds of a razor-close fight, Aljamain Sterling outworked Henry Cejudo and defended the belt. Judges gave Aljo a split decision nod. […]