UFC 288: Sterling vs. Cejudo | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Daniel Cornmeat
- 4 hours ago
- 5 min read
Introduction
UFC 288: Sterling vs. Cejudo took place on Saturday, May 6, 2023 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. It was Henry Cejudo's first UFC fight in three years after announcing his retirement following his dominant TKO of Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 in May 2020. The card produced an estimated 550,000 pay-per-view buys.
Aljamain Sterling retained the bantamweight title via split decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47) in one of the most-disputed UFC championship results of 2023. Cejudo had ended a three-year retirement to challenge Sterling, and the Triple C had entered looking to reclaim the title he had won at UFC 238 in June 2019 by TKO of Marlon Moraes. Most independent scorers had Cejudo winning at least two of the five rounds; the result was disputed by Cejudo and his team publicly.
The co-main was Marlon Vera vs. Cory Sandhagen — a top-five bantamweight bout that Sandhagen won via unanimous decision. Kevin Holland stopped Yohan Lainesse via TKO in the first round. The card also featured a flyweight title eliminator between Amir Albazi and Kai Kara-France, with Albazi winning via submission.
Contents
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, May 6, 2023
📍 Venue: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, USA
👥 Attendance: 15,075 (full capacity)
💰 Gate: $5.7 million
📺 PPV Buys: ~550,000
📡 Broadcast: Pay-per-view (ESPN+ in USA)
🏆 Main Event: Aljamain Sterling (c) vs. Henry Cejudo — UFC Bantamweight Championship (135 lbs)
✅ Result: Sterling def. Cejudo via Split Decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47)
🥇 Co-Main: Cory Sandhagen def. Marlon Vera via Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Bantamweight
The Build-Up
Aljamain Sterling had unified the bantamweight title at UFC 273 (SD over Petr Yan) and defended against TJ Dillashaw at UFC 280 (TKO, dislocated shoulder). He was 21-3 in MMA and the most decorated bantamweight contender since Cejudo.
Henry Cejudo was Triple C — a two-division champion (flyweight and bantamweight) who had announced his retirement after his dominant TKO of Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 in May 2020. Three years of retirement had done nothing to diminish his reputation; his MMA record stood at 16-2 and he remained the consensus most dominant 135-lb grappler of the modern era. He unretired specifically to challenge Sterling for the bantamweight title, citing a belief that Sterling's grappling could be neutralised by his wrestling.
Cejudo was a -160 favourite. The Prudential Center crowd was largely pro-Cejudo; the New Jersey market has historically favoured the sport's technical veterans. Sterling entered the fight as a genuine underdog despite being the champion.
Main Event: Sterling vs. Cejudo
Round one was Sterling's. The champion used his range and his volume striking to control the standing exchanges, scored a takedown at 2:30, and finished the round on top with sustained ground work. The judges had it 10-9 Sterling.
Rounds two and three were Cejudo's. The challenger's wrestling pressure was relentless — he scored takedowns in each round, controlled top position with his championship-calibre ground-and-pound, and out-struck Sterling on the canvas. His three-year layoff was not visible in the technical execution. Most observers had rounds two and three clearly for Cejudo.
Rounds four and five were close. Sterling's volume striking and his clinch work restored his output in round four; Cejudo's wrestling pressure remained consistent in round five. The fight went the distance. Final scorecards: 47-48, 48-47, 48-47 — a split decision for Sterling. Cejudo was visibly stunned at the result.
Sterling lost the title to Sean O'Malley at UFC 292 in August 2023 (KO R2). His championship reign spanned three title defenses (Yan, Dillashaw, Cejudo). Cejudo did not fight again after UFC 288 through the mid-2020s.
Co-Main Event: Vera vs. Sandhagen
A five-round bantamweight technical bout. Cory Sandhagen used his volume striking and his lateral movement to control the standing exchanges through all five rounds. Marlon Vera pressed forward with body kicks and combination strikes but could not consistently break through Sandhagen's defensive footwork. Final scorecards: 29-28, 29-28, 29-28 Sandhagen. The win positioned Sandhagen as the #1 bantamweight contender for the Sean O'Malley title era.
Full Results
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Aljamain Sterling (c) def. Henry Cejudo — Split Decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47) — Bantamweight Title
Cory Sandhagen def. Marlon Vera — Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Bantamweight
Kevin Holland def. Yohan Lainesse — TKO (punches) — R1, 1:04 — Welterweight
Amir Albazi def. Kai Kara-France — Submission (rear-naked choke) — R4, 1:58 — Flyweight
Joe Pyfer def. Abdul Razak Alhassan — KO (punches) — R1, 1:43 — Middleweight
Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+)
Jessica Andrade def. Tatiana Suarez — Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Women's Flyweight
Michal Oleksiejczuk def. Modestas Bukauskas — KO (punches) — R1, 2:13 — Light Heavyweight
Edmen Shahbazyan def. Bruno Silva — Unanimous Decision (30-27 ×3) — Middleweight
Cameron Saaiman def. Fernie Garcia — Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Bantamweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Performance of the Night: Kevin Holland — $50,000 for the first-round TKO of Yohan Lainesse.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Joe Pyfer — $50,000 for the first-round KO of Abdul Razak Alhassan.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Amir Albazi — $50,000 for the fourth-round rear-naked choke submission of Kai Kara-France.
Records & Milestones
• Henry Cejudo's comeback fight — his first since UFC 249 in May 2020, a three-year absence.
• Sterling's third successful UFC bantamweight title defense across his two championship reigns.
• One of the most disputed UFC championship split decisions of 2023 — Cejudo and his team disputed the result publicly.
• Amir Albazi's fourth-round submission of Kai Kara-France positioned him as the leading flyweight contender of 2023-2024.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 288 is remembered as the night Henry Cejudo came out of retirement to challenge for the bantamweight title and left believing he had won. The split-decision result — 47-48, 48-47, 48-47 — was one of the most-disputed championship results of 2023. Most independent scorers had Cejudo winning at least two rounds (two and three); the single judge's card that swung the decision to Sterling generated months of post-fight conversation about UFC judging.
For Aljamain Sterling, the win was his third title defense and the close of his bantamweight championship reign. He lost the title to Sean O'Malley at UFC 292 in August 2023 (KO R2). He has remained a top-three bantamweight contender into the mid-2020s without reclaiming the title.
For Henry Cejudo, UFC 288 was a formally unsatisfying close to the comeback. He has not fought again through the mid-2020s. His career remains one of the most-accomplished in UFC bantamweight history: two-division champion (flyweight and bantamweight), Olympic gold medalist in wrestling (2008 Beijing), and a technical game that was arguably the best pure grappling the 135-lb division has ever seen.
FAQ
Was the Cejudo decision controversial?
Heavily. Rounds two and three were widely scored for Cejudo — his wrestling pressure, takedown control, and ground-and-pound were dominant in both rounds. The single judge who scored it 48-47 Sterling was the swing card; without it, Cejudo would have won 2-1 on the cards. Most independent scorers had it 48-47 Cejudo or a genuine close split. The result did not generate the same backlash as the Pimblett-Gordon decision from UFC 282 — the Sterling-Cejudo fight was genuinely close and the dispute was about one round's scoring, not a wholesale miscarriage.
Did Cejudo fight again?
Not as of mid-2025. Cejudo returned to social media and media commentary after the UFC 288 loss but did not secure another UFC bout. He has explored fights with Merab Dvalishvili, Sean O'Malley, and others but has not competed again. His career stands at 16-2 with two UFC championships — the most decorated bantamweight-flyweight career of the modern era.
How does UFC 288 compare to UFC 287?
UFC 288 drew approximately 550,000 PPV buys versus UFC 287 (700,000) four weeks earlier — a 150,000-buy drop. The bantamweight division had less mainstream draw than the Adesanya-Pereira middleweight rematch; Cejudo's comeback added novelty but not the PPV-driving narrative of the more-prominent 185-lb title fight.
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