It looks like Aljamain Sterling has his next title challenger.
The UFC bantamweight champion said on Thursday that former two-division UFC titleholder Henry Cejudo will be his next opponent. Sterling (22-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) said there’s no contract in place, no event or date, but that it’s been agreed that Cejudo (16-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) is the fight that’s happening next.
“I’m announcing that I am gonna fight Henry next,” Sterling said on his YouTube channel. “We are targeting March. So, I will say, Ali (Abdelaziz), brother, it’s done, but it’s still not done until there’s ink on the paper, you know what I mean? But it’s done. It’s done, brother, but it’s still kind of not done, you know? But this is the fight that’s going to happen next.”
As I said, I know I’ll get the itch to compete sooner rather than later! One more month of PT then I’ll be starting camp to respectfully smash Triple Cheese 💯
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Full video below!
•#TheWeeklyScrapshttps://t.co/q6zhmGluR7 pic.twitter.com/lnjZrf2vml— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) December 1, 2022
The video was in response to some recent comments made by Cejudo’s manager Ali Abdelaziz to The Underground, saying that the title bout between Sterling and Cejudo is “done.”
Just two weeks ago, Sterling had told the media present at UFC 281 that a fight with Cejudo did not interest him. The champion also addressed the contradicting comments, saying that’s now changed.
“Word, but I think now that it’s “real,” I’m getting up for it now,” Sterling wrote on Twitter.
Word but I think now that’s it’s “real”, I’m getting up for it now. https://t.co/ZF1rdLOioL
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) December 1, 2022
Sterling last competed in October when he defended his UFC bantamweight title for a second, defeating former champ T.J. Dillashaw in the co-main event of UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi. The 33-year-old is on an eight-fight winning streak, with his last defeat being in late 2017.
Cejudo has been out of competition for over two years. The Olympic gold medalist in wrestling retired from MMA in May 2020 and relinquished his bantamweight title following a successful defense against Dominick Cruz. Cejudo, now 35, is unbeaten in his last six outings.
