Former UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo suffered a “big cut” during his UFC 288 training camp, just a couple of weeks before “Triple C” challenges Aljamain Sterling for the 135-pound title on May 6 in New Jersey. The Olympian failed to disclose the reason for his nasty gash (see it here) — which required multiple stitches — but division contender Sean O’Malley has his own theory.
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BLOCKBUSTER BANTAMWEIGHT BATTLE! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Newark, N.J., for the first time in more than three years on Sat., May 6, 2023, with a blockbuster Bantamweight collision inside Prudential Center that will see Aljamain Sterling attempt another successful title defense against returning two-division titleholder and former gold medal-winning Olympic wrestler, Henry Cejudo. In UFC 288’s last-minute pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event, former Welterweight title challenger, Gilbert Burns, locks horns with No. 4-seeded contender, Belal Muhammad, in a five-round, 170-pound No. 1 contender eliminator match.
“Henry looks like he had a good camp,” O’Malley said on his official podcast. “I know he had that big cut on his face so he must have forgot how to box. It’s weird. The greatest combat sports athlete of all [time], he even invented play fighting. He said that. He literally said that. Shadow sparring. And the funniest thing is his little ass probably believes it. I think Henry’s going to out-pace Aljo. I think Aljo is cutting too much weight. I think Henry is going to get the decision or get the job done in the later rounds. I’m calling it right now.”
Cejudo missed three years of action after retiring back in early 2020.
O’Malley was able to blast his way into title contention by defeating former champion Petr Yan at UFC 280 and is expected to face the winner of Sterling vs. Cejudo at some point later this year. Cejudo, no stranger to a war of words with the “Dirty Q-Tip,” is hoping the promotion can get that fight booked as soon as possible and has even volunteered to face “Sugar” in “Beantown.”
“Sean O’Malley is next and I like that fight,” Cejudo said during the UFC 288 media day. “I love the fact that he’s tall, I love the fact that he’s popular, and I’m going to hurt that dude. Right away, I want O’Malley. Make sure he listens to this, I want him right away. I want to take at least about a month off and then boom, UFC, set it up. Let’s set it up and let’s do it in Boston. Let’s do it in his backyard. That wannabe American. Let’s do it in Boston.”
The bantamweight division’s No. 1 contender may have something to say about that.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 288 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 288: “Sterling vs. Cejudo” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 288 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.