UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling dismisses the idea that he won’t be able to score takedowns against Henry Cejudo and is confident in proving that ring rust and father time are undefeated.
Aljamain Sterling has experienced his fair share of criticism during his two-year reign as UFC bantamweight champion. Much of the negativity he’s faced since claiming the title in 2021 after Petr Yan was disqualified has been out of his control. Over time, Sterling developed thick skin and learned to largely ignore the verbal jabs thrown his way. Among the loudest voices in recent years has been former two-division champion Henry Cejudo, who will return from retirement to challenge Sterling for the title at UFC 288.
“There’s no animosity, I don’t want that to come off that way. I’m not trying to force anything. I’m not trying to fake anything [but] the guy talks a lot,” Sterling said about Cejudo. “Sat on the sidelines and talked so much s*** and criticized everybody. No disrespect but it’s almost like what Khabib [Nurmagomedov] did. When Khabib retired, he started to become a lot more vocal and it wasn’t vocal in a very humble or respectful way, I feel like and I don’t know if he did that intentionally or he didn’t realize the way it was coming off. Henry’s doing that but I think it’s very intentional and deliberate and someone needs to smack him in the face. Thankfully, he’s actually coming back so I get to be the guy to smack him in the face.”
Sterling and Cejudo never had the chance to cross paths before. Cejudo didn’t spend much time in the bantamweight division during his UFC career and his title fight came after he beat T.J. Dillashaw. Sterling can’t help but point out that Cejudo’s retirement occurred just as tougher match-ups against a stacked bantamweight division were on the horizon. He believes Cejudo dodged a bullet by leaving when he did, as killer after killer would have come after him.
Sterling, known for his impressive grappling skills, is confident in his ability to take down Cejudo, a 2008 Olympic gold medalist in wrestling. “I predict I take Henry down three or four times in this fight,” Sterling said. “I really do. I think once I get my hands on him, he’s going to realize that what people say about me is actually true. I’m a bigger guy. I’ve got the longer reach, the longer limbs and all I need to do is lock my hands. If I lock my hands, that is a bad situation to be in. I can’t wait to go out there and take that gold medal and shove it up his ass and hand him a nice ‘L’ for his efforts.” He is curious to see how Cejudo, who has been away from the sport for three years, will perform at 36 years of age.
In the lead-up to the fight, Sterling expects to hear more from Cejudo, but is eager to let his fists do the talking and potentially silence Cejudo once and for all. “Henry can say whatever he wants,” Sterling said. “I think I’ve shown that even if the world is against me, I’m going to fight back, I’ll chirp back and nothing is going to get inside my head and nothing’s going to deter me from doing and believing what I believe in. I think [after this fight] Henry Cejudo disappears into the darkness again, going into the abyss depending on how bad he gets his ass whooped. That’s what I really do think.”