Bantamweight ruler Aljamain Sterling seeks his third successful title defense in 14 months as he welcomes “Triple C,” Henry Cejudo, back to the Octagon in Saturday night’s main event.
Sterling posted a pair of successful title defenses in 2022, scoring a split decision win over Petr Yan in their highly anticipated rematch at UFC 273 before collecting a second-round stoppage win over TJ Dillashaw at UFC 280 in October. In all, the 33-year-old champion has earned eight straight victories and sports a 22-3 record, including a 9-0 mark in the state of New Jersey.
Cejudo surprised a lot of people by announcing his retirement in the cage following his UFC 250 win over Dominick Cruz, but after just shy of three years away, the former flyweight and bantamweight titleholder is back. The Olympic gold medalist was in the midst of an outstanding run of form when he walked away, having won six straight, the last three by stoppage, so it will be fascinating to see if he can pick up right where he left off this weekend.
Stylistically, this is an intriguing matchup, as Sterling is at his best initiating grappling exchanges and pushing a torrid pace that puts opponents on their heels, while Cejudo is an elite wrestler who leans on his own pace and conditioning, as well. Each man has worked diligently to sharpen their striking over the course of their respective careers, so it’s going to be captivating to see how things play out once the cage door closes and the action gets underway.
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From a narrative standpoint, the winner of this one could move into top position in the discussion of the greatest UFC bantamweights of all time. A victory for either man is a win over a former champion, and while the 135-pound ranks are currently an absolute shark tank, there has yet to be a titleholder that really dominated the division for an extended period, giving the winner here a strong case for the top spot.
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