Aljamain Sterling didn’t think Henry Cejudo’s return to MMA was going to be as well received, as he has seen in recent weeks.
The UFC bantamweight champion welcomes back Cejudo (16-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) to fighting, as the two are set to clash in the UFC 288 headliner on May 6 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.. Sterling (22-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) thought the fan base wasn’t going to care about Cejudo, but he admits he was wrong.
“This matchup with Henry, I’m excited for it,” Sterling told ESPN. “At first, I thought no one cared about it, and now I’m just seeing fans are really behind it. They really want to see this matchup, and they think it’s a good test.
“I’m like, ‘Alright. You guys think he can beat me?’ Now let’s put money where your mouth is. That’s what gets me excited. That’s what gets me up in the morning to go train and put in those hard hours.”
Cejudo retired from MMA in May 2020 after defending the bantamweight title against Dominick Cruz at UFC 249. Not long after walking away from the sport, Cejudo began teasing a return, but it took years before it could materialize.
Sterling was surprised when he got the fight contract for UFC 288, as he thought it was all talk from the Olympic wrestling gold medalist.
“I thought it (the offer) was a joke because he’s been talking about it (a return) for so long,” Sterling said. “He just sits on the sidelines just making these funny videos, kind of sh*tting on everybody and not giving credit where credit is due.”
Despite Cejudo’s antics and self-appointed cringe attitude, Sterling is taking Cejudo very seriously as a challenger. He’s unsure what to expect from Cejudo after a three-year layoff, but he wants to make sure he’s not in for any surprises.
“I try to be honest about the assessment,” Sterling said. “He’s a 125er going up to 135. Yeah, he’s been on the couch for three years. Has he been training the whole time, or just making these funny YouTube videos? So that gives me a lot of confidence.
“I know that he’s been putting in a lot of serious work, but I don’t know if he’s going to be the Henry Cejudo of three years ago – the same speed, he might be a little slower. His reaction time might be slower, and this isn’t a freestyle wrestling match. This is a fistfight with top and bottom control.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 288.
