UFC 288: Sean O’Malley confronts Aljamain Sterling following his victory over Henry Cejudo for the UFC bantamweight title at UFC 288. The New Yorker prevails through a split decision against the previous two-division champion.
Cision victory over Henry Cejudo at UFC 288, Aljamain Sterling maintained his hold on the UFC bantamweight title.
With two scores of 48-47, and 48-47, Sterling successfully defended his title, while former two-division champion Cejudo said that he could enter retirement after obtaining the same 48-47 decision from one of the judges.
The challenger Sean O’Malley then entered the cage, removed his jacket, and stood face-to-face with Sterling as they engaged in a heated argument before being separated.
The battle between Sterling and O’Malley is scheduled to take place in Boston in August, and UFC President Dana White is anticipated to make the announcement.
White acknowledged when O’Malley was let inside the octagon, “It was a bad idea.”
Having held the bantamweight title when he abruptly quit in May 2020 following a successful title defence against Dominick Cruz, Cejudo makes his comeback after a three-year absence.
“Who knows, this might be the final time we fight in the octagon,” said Cejudo.
“I despise losing, but it’s been three years.
“I’m on this quest for greatness. I’m not doing this if I can’t make history. I came up short. My waist is not covered by the belt.”
On the same card, Gilbert Burns was defeated by a unanimous decision in a five-round match at 170 pounds by Belal Muhammad (23-3, 1 NC), who scored enough hard kicks to Burns’ upper body.
The more aggressive Cejudo became, the more strikes he was landing, although he was still having trouble at times handling the size and length of the current bantamweight champion. The 2008 Olympic gold champion was also being worn down by Sterling, who was repeatedly kicking him in the leg after delivering a straight left to the face.
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