Henry Cejudo‘s longtime coach, Eric Albarracin, predicts a submission win for Cejudo against UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288.
Henry Cejudo’s longtime coach, Eric Albarracin, is predicting a win for Cejudo in UFC 288. In an interview on The MMA Hour, Albarracin said, “‘Triple C’ takes him in three”. He further mentioned that he thinks Cejudo will win through submission. Cejudo, 36, and Aljamain Sterling, 33, are set to face off on Saturday in the main event of UFC 288 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Cejudo had stunned the MMA world in 2020 when he announced his retirement after successfully defending his bantamweight title against Dominick Cruz at UFC 249. Since then, he has consistently teased a return to MMA, but questions remained about his seriousness and the UFC’s willingness to meet his demands. Albarracin, Cejudo’s coach for over a decade, isn’t surprised at his return. He said that Cejudo wasn’t made for relaxation or comfort; he was made for greatness, and that’s why he’s back.
Cejudo’s ultimate goal is to move up in weight and challenge Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC featherweight title. This would make him the first three-division champion in UFC history. Cejudo attempted to secure an immediate title shot against Volkanovski multiple times in the past few years, but the UFC rebuffed his efforts. As per Cejudo’s explanation at UFC 288 media day on Wednesday, his plan now is to defeat Sterling, defend his title against popular contender Sean O’Malley, and use the momentum gained from those fights to secure his desired title shot against Volkanovski.
Albarracin likes this plan better than Cejudo’s original goal of challenging Volkanovski as his first post-retirement fight. He said, “You’ve got to get your feet wet”. Furthermore, he scoffed at any comparisons between the skill sets of Cejudo and Sterling, especially when it came to their grappling abilities. Albarracin encouraged folks to “bet the house” if they truly believed Sterling’s grappling was superior to Cejudo’s.