Aljamain Sterling will defend his bantamweight title against the returning Henry Cejudo in the main event of UFC 288 this weekend. Sterling has won eight fights in a row, beating TJ Dillashaw in October, and he now faces the former two-division champ Cejudo, who has come back from retirement and three years away from the sport.
The co-main event reshuffle
Former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira was scheduled to take on title contender Beneil Dariush in the co-main event, but the fight has been postponed after Oliveria suffered an injury that forced him to limit his training, meaning he won’t be ready for the bout. But a new co-main event has been added to the card with Gilbert Burns returning to the Octagon only weeks after beating Jorge Masvidal at UFC 287. Burns will take on Belal Muhammad in a five-round contest with the winner cementing their welterweight title shot.
UFC 288 Fight Card
The event is scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 6, at the Prudential Centre in New Jersey, United States. The prelims will begin at 11 pm UK time before the main card gets underway from 3 am. The main event can then be expected at around 6 am on Sunday morning for UK fans. UFC 288 will be broadcast live on BT Sport.
Fight fans can also look forward to seeing Jessica Andrade take on Yan Xiaonan, Movsar Evloev vs.Diego Lopes and Kron Gracie vs. Charles Jourdain. Here’s the full fight card for UFC 288, subject to change:
Main card
- MAIN EVENT: Aljamain Sterling vs Henry Cejudo – for UFC bantamweight title
- Gilbert Burns vs Belal Muhammad
- Jessica Andrade vs. Yan Xiaonan
- Movsar Evloev vs.Diego Lopes
- Kron Gracie vs Charles Jourdain
Preliminary card
- Drew Dober vs. Matt Frevola
- Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Devin Clark
- Khaos Williams vs. Rolando Bedoya
- Marina Rodriguez vs. Virna Jandiroba
Early preliminary card
- Braxton Smith vs. Parker Porter
- Phil Hawes vs. Ikram Aliskerov
- Rafael Estevam vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov
- Joseph Holmes vs. Claudio Ribiero
- Daniel Santos vs. Johnny Munoz Jr
Don’t miss this action-packed card as UFC 288 promises to deliver a night of intense fights that will leave you on the edge of your seat!