Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo staredown video from UFC 288 press conference

This weekend (Sat., May 6, 2023) at UFC 288, two of the best wrestlers in mixed martial arts (MMA) collide with Bantamweight gold on the line, meeting in the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Headlining the event will be the reigning 135-pound champion, Aljamain Sterling, and the returning former champion of the division as well as the Flyweight division, Henry Cejudo. The bout marks Cejudo’s first since he successfully defended the Bantamweight title against Dominick Cruz via a second-round technical knockout (knee and punches) in May 2020. The co-main event of the evening will see a short-notice barnburner between two of the Welterweight division’s top contenders, Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns.

Also in attendance at today’s (Thurs., May 4, 2023) pre-fight press conference was thrilling top Strawweight contenders, Jessica Andrade and Yan Xiaonan. A win for either competitor will be critical for the title landscape at 115 pounds as the champion, Zhang Weili, appears not to have a clear-cut next challenger.

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OCTAGON RETURNS TO THE GREAT WHITE NORTH! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Canada for the first time in almost four years when it hosts UFC 289 inside Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Sat., June 10, 2023. In UFC 289’s pay-per-view (PPV) main event, women’s Bantamweight champion, Amanda Nunes, will lock horns with No. 5-ranked 135-pound contender, Irene Aldana, while former Lightweight kingpin and current No. 1-seeded contender, Charles Oliveira, battles No. 4-ranked Beneil Dariush in the co-feature with 155-pound title implications on the line.

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Before Andrade vs. Yan, one of Featheweight’s future staples, Movsar Evloev, gets back in action when welcoming Lux Fight League veteran, Diego Lopes, to the Octagon. Lopes is filling in for an injured Bryce Mitchell on just one week’s notice.

Opening the main card will be another return in the form of one of MMA’s most legendary family members, Kron Gracie. The submission wizard will look to rebound off his first career loss by taking out Canada’s Charles “Air” Jourdain.

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.