For UFC 288, Kyte called upon Tyson Chartier, head coach of the New England Cartel, and Eliot Marshall, co-owner and head instructor at Easton Training Center in Denver, Colorado to provide their thoughts on four points heading into the bantamweight championship main event between defending champ Aljamain Sterling and returning former two-division titleholder Henry Cejudo.
Order UFC 288: Sterling vs Cejudo
Best Trait of Each Fighter
Kyte: At a time in the sport where everyone is pretty solid everywhere, generally speaking, what is the one thing that each of these competitors do better than anyone else?
Marshall: So the best trait of Aljamain Sterling — what he does best is grappling, and we know this, but what I think is his best trait, is his ability to get the fight into the grappling.
When you look at his striking, it doesn’t look good; it looks as though he should get pieced up, but he doesn’t get pieced up and he’s able to always get it into his realm, especially as of late. I thought Petr Yan was going to piece him up in that second fight, and it didn’t happen. So yeah, that’s his best trait.
Chartier: It’s funny because I kind of think it’s the same thing — wrestling — but then I also think they’re both extremely smart fighters and very cerebral.
If you look at Aljo, he has an idea of how to stick to what he’s good at while avoiding what the other person is good at. He’s not a one-trick pony, but he’s so good at being long, closing that distance, and getting your back. If you look at Cejudo, he’s probably a little more dangerous on the feet, but he’s also got that wrestling background, which is what made him dangerous.
How To Watch UFC 288: Sterling vs Cejudo
And they’re both really smart — Aljo understands fighting, he understands matchup styles, breaking down fights, strategies, that kind of stuff, and Cejudo is obviously a very good coach that has been helping a lot of other people prepare for their fights.
Marshall: Henry’s best trait — obviously he can grapple and box; he can wrestle and box, but I think his best trait is his intelligence. His IQ for MMA is so ridiculous; it’s on the Jon Jones level.
Path to Victory for Each Fighter
Kyte: Everyone would love a 10-second knockout or a quick submission, but that’s not often how these things go, especially not at the championship level. Instead, it’s usually the competitor that has crafted the better game plan and did the better job of executing things inside the Octagon that comes away with their hand raised and the gold around their waist.
So, how does either man get it done on Saturday night?