Henry Cejudo betting favorite to clinch title from Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288 in May

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.

Revered as one of the most complete and dominant fighters to ever compete in combat sports, with a victory over Sterling in their UFC 288 title headliner, Cejudo has been tipped to join the upper-echelon in the greatest of all-time debate, including the likes of Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, and even past opponent, Demetrious Johnson.

Furthermore, a victory over Sterling would see Californian native and Olympic gold medalist, Cejudo join the duo of just Dominick Cruz, and T.J. Dillashaw as the only two-time bantamweight championship holders in the history of the organization since the division’s inception.

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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, 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 month’s 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. 

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, Mighty Mouse 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, 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.