Henry Cejudo not content to remain ‘Triple C:’ ‘I’m looking to become C4’

Henry Cejudo has a tough task ahead of him when he faces Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288 for the Bantamweight championship he once held. But, “Triple C” is already looking past Sterling to a combat sports future where he gets to challenge for the Featherweight belt as well, and the title of “C4.”

Cejudo is an Olympic gold medalist, former UFC Flyweight champion, and former UFC Bantamweight champion ... hence his triple champion moniker. Eventually, he plans to upgrade that to quadruple champ with another belt at 145 pounds.

He made the proclamation in a new interview with Megan Anderson.

“[Aljamain] Sterling, stay tuned — now your time is running out!” he declared. “May 6 is right around the corner. Go out and get your little thong ready, your nice little dress ready. Because I’m taking you out first, and then I’m going after Ronald McDonald. That’s right, Sean O’Malley, he’s next, that dirty q-tip. And after that the real goal.

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BLOCKBUSTER BANTAMWEIGHT BATTLE! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Newark, N.J., for the first time in more than three years on Sat., May 6, 2023, with a blockbuster Bantamweight collision inside Prudential Center that will see Aljamain Sterling attempt another successful title defense against returning two-division titleholder and former gold medal-winning Olympic wrestler, Henry Cejudo. In UFC 288’s last-minute pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event, former Welterweight title challenger, Gilbert Burns, locks horns with No. 4-seeded contender, Belal Muhammad, in a five-round, 170-pound No. 1 contender eliminator match.

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“Once I get done with you two tune-ups, I’m going after Alexander ‘The Average,’” Cejudo continued. “I want him. I do respect what he’s doing, I do respect what he’s done. But, I also do believe that he’s stopping me from making history, to put myself in a category, in a position that nobody has ever done. I am the ‘Triple C’, I’m looking to become ‘C4’.

“I know you respect me Alexander Volkanovski, but when that time comes you will see a different version of myself,” Cejudo concluded. “And I am shorter than you, but I am faster, I’m knowledgeable, I have the tools to take you out. So continue to keep winning, continue to babysit that belt, because that belt will be mine ... sucka!”

Despite returning to action after three years away from the sport, bookies have Cejudo just a slight +100 underdog to Sterling, who is a -120 favorite. That’s pretty wild considering the size advantage “Funkmaster” has coming into their bout, and his impressive eight-fight win streak.

Cejudo has his own six-fight win streak from before his retirement, with the last four including wins over Dominick Cruz, Marlon Moraes, T.J. Dillashaw and Demetrious Johnson. Cejudo dethroned Dillashaw and Johnson at the top of their games, and now he’s looking to do the same with Sterling at UFC 288.

UFC 288 goes down this weekend (Sat., May 6, 2023) from inside Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The pay-per-view (PPV) card also features a special five-round Welterweight title eliminator bout between Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns.

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 288 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 288: “Sterling vs. Cejudo” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.