UFC 288 live tracker: Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo updates ...

7 May 2023

Yahoo Sports

UFC 288 live tracker Aljamain Sterling vs Henry Cejudo updates

Follow along as UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling looks to defend his title against former two-division champion Henry Cejudo in Saturday's main event at UFC 288 in Newark, New Jersey.

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - MAY 05: (L-R) Opponents Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo face off during the UFC 288 ceremonial weigh-in at Prudential Center on May 05, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) — Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo face off during the UFC 288 ceremonial weigh-in at Prudential Center on May 5, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Saturday marks a unique milestone for UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling. He’ll face former champion Henry Cejudo at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, in the main event of UFC 288. It will be his first main event in 19 bouts in the UFC.

“I never really cared about the main event spot until I saw it like this [on the billboards outside the arena],” Sterling said Wednesday at UFC 288 media day. “Well, that actually is pretty damn cool and it does feel good.”

Cejudo is on a short list of the greatest fighters in MMA history. If he returns after a three-year absence and defeats Sterling and then goes on to eventually win a featherweight belt, it would be a massive story and might well crown him the sport’s GOAT.

Will Sterling build on his legacy by bullying the former two division champ? Or will Cejudo recapture gold after sitting on the sidelines for the last three years? Yahoo Sports betting analyst Mark Drumheller believes Sterling’s size and reach will be the difference in this fight.

In the co-main event, welterweights Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns meet in a five-round bout to determine the next title contender, according to UFC president Dana White.

Also on the main card is a strawweight match between former champion Jessica Andrade and rising contender Xiaonan Yan. Movsar Evloev, who was originally slated to face Bryce Mitchell, will face Diego Lopes in a featherweight bout after Mitchell pulled out earlier this week due to an injury. Featherweights Kron Gracie and Charles Jourdain will kick off the pay-per-view in what should be a closely contested battle.

Yahoo Sports will have complete coverage of these fights and everything that goes down at UFC 288, so keep it locked here for all the details.

UFC 288 live tracker UFC 288 main card, odds (Start time 10 p.m. ET ESPN+ PPV)

All odds via BetMGM.

Bantamweight: Aljamain Sterling (C) (+100) vs. Henry Cejudo (-120)
Welterweight: Gilbert Burns (-140) vs. Belal Muhammad (+120)
Women's strawweight: Jessica Andrade (-185) vs. Xiaonan Yan (+150)
Featherweight: Diego Lopes (+600) vs. Movsar Evloev (-1000)
Featherweight: Kron Gracie (+145) vs. Charles Jourdain (-175)

UFC 288 prelims, odds (Live now on ESPN/ESPN+)

Welterweight: Khaos Williams def. Rolando Bedoya by split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
Women's strawweight: Virna Jandiroba def. Marina Rodriguez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

UFC 288 early prelims full results