UFC 288 has come around quickly, and this Saturday the bantamweight title will be on the line! Here are 5 reasons to tune in on Saturday night.
The premier MMA promotion returns with its latest numbered card this weekend from Newark New Jersey. Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling will take on the returning Henry Cejudo in his first bought since 2020. High stakes in the co-main event at Welterweight, as Gilbert Burns takes on Belal Muhammad, fan favourite Bryce Mitchell & a Gracie is on the card, here are your 5 reasons to watch:
The Return of Henry Cejudo
The last time we saw Henry Cejudo he beat Dominick Cruz by second-round TKO to defend the bantamweight title, Henry then entered retirement. Previously to the Cruz fight Henry beat Marlon Moraes to win the vacant bantamweight title.
In 2018 Cejudo dethroned the long-standing flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson in an epic 5-round contest, he then defended the belt against TJ Dillashaw who was coming down from Bantamweight looking to be crowned the double champ. However, it was Cejudo who would go on to be crowned “Champ Champ” by beating Moraes.
After 3 years away and now at the age of 36, there are questions about how successful Henry will be on his return, and coming up against a confident Sterling is a real test to Henrys’ legendary status.
Aljamain Sterlings Legacy
Sterling won the bantamweight title in controversial fashion after Petr Yan was disqualified for an illegal knee. Since that victory, Sterling has looked excellent as the champ, he beat Yan in the rematch and then easily dispatched TJ Dillashaw by TKO.
Aljo now has a brilliant chance to secure his legacy at bantamweight by beating a legend of the lighter-weight classes, he has the style and the skillset to give Cejudo problems and currently is a slight betting favourite to defend his belt.
Finally, Sterling has talked up a move to 145 in the near future and that looks even more likely now that his teammate and close friend Merab Dvalishvili is now a top contender at Bantamweight. Will he move up as the double champ or look for a new lease on life?
Will a Title Challenger Emerge at Welterweight?
At welterweight, an opportunity has opened up for a new contender since Leon Edwards dethroned Kamaru Usman, and with the UFC trying to book Colby Covington next, Who else could emerge as a challenger? The co-main event of UFC 288 could give us a standout challenger.
Gilbert Burns v Belal Muhammad is undoubtedly a big fight in the division and each has title aspirations. Gilbert lost his shot against Kamaru in 2021, while Belal has been working his way up the division since 2014 and feels his time is now.
Burns is taking this fight on a 2-fight-win streak, he fought last at UFC 287 (yes the last numbered card) and impressively beat Jorge Masvidal. Belal, on the other hand, is riding a 4-fight-win streak (8 if you don’t count the no-contest with Leon Edwards).
Both have the grappling skillset to cancel each other out so could we see a standup banger from the 2 hungry contenders?
Thug Nasty the Fan Favourite
Bryce Mitchell has quickly made a name for himself in the UFC since winning TUF 27 in 2018. “Thug Nasty” then went on a 5-fight-win streak in the promotion and secured a unanimous decision over veteran Edson Barboza in 2022.
Since then Bryce has lost to Ilia Topuria, he claims there were external circumstances to that loss. This time he comes up against undefeated Movsar Evloev, the pair were booked to fight each other back in November so this clash is overdue.
This fight is guaranteed to be a high-level mixed martial arts contest, Mitchell will be looking to secure the takedown and finish on the ground. While Evloev has the MMA skillset to challenge Mitchell in every area of the fight.
A Gracie is Back in the Octagon
UFC 288 sees the return of Kron Gracie, the latest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master turned MMA fighter from the famous Gracie family. Kron hasn’t fought since his unanimous decision loss to Cub Swanson in 2019. On the night it was clear that Kron had work to do in his striking.
While the Gracie name is synonymous with BJJ, Kron will be looking to prove that he belongs in MMA by showing improved stand-up skills against Charles Jourdain, who is no doubt a striking specialist with 8/13 wins coming by KO/TKO. The bout is a real crossroads fight for Kron and he’ll want to show his improvements on Saturday night.
How do you see these fights going? What are you most excited about at UFC 288? Let us know in the comments
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
