Aljamain Sterling retains the UFC bantamweight title with a split decision win against Henry Cejudo at UFC 288.
Aljamain Sterling, “The Funkmaster,” successfully defended his UFC bantamweight title for the third time on Saturday at UFC 288, held at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Sterling won a split decision against Henry Cejudo, derailing Cejudo’s comeback plans. The UFC 288 event also featured a victory for Belal Muhammad over Gilbert Burns on short notice, among other exciting bouts.
Sterling’s unique fighting style has been polarizing, but his impressive résumé attests to his dominance in the UFC bantamweight division. The Funkmaster now holds several divisional records, including the most wins in UFC bantamweight history (14), the longest win streak in UFC bantamweight history (9), and the most consecutive title defenses in UFC bantamweight history (3). However, Sterling’s performance at UFC 288 sparked controversy, as he outperformed Cejudo in almost every category but still would have lost the belt had judge Derek Cleary scored round 5 for Cejudo.
Despite the disputes surrounding Sterling’s performance, it is clear that he deserved to win on Saturday. Former opponents, such as T.J. Dillashaw and Petr Yan, have acknowledged Sterling’s ability, and his list of accomplishments speak for themselves. While Sterling may face continued scrutiny, his future seems promising, and it will be fascinating to see how his legacy evolves in the coming years.
UFC 288 also featured standout performances from fighters like Yan Xiaonan and Diego Lopes. Xiaonan’s stunning knockout of Jessica Andrade could potentially set up a huge main event showdown with Weili Zhang in China. Meanwhile, Lopes, who earned praise from UFC president Dana White for his performance against Movsar Evloev, ensured that audiences will be paying close attention to his next fight.