Henry Cejudo may have the superior wrestling accolades, but Aljamain Sterling is confident he’s prepared if things go to the ground in their bantamweight title fight. He doesn’t see this fight going in that direction at all. More from grosenstein:
ByYou’d be hard-pressed to find someone who willingly wants to take an opponent with an Olympic gold medal to the mat, but that’s exactly what Aljamain Sterling says he plans to do Saturday night at UFC 288. Henry Cejudo may have the superior wrestling accolades, but Sterling is confident he’s prepared if things go to the ground in their bantamweight title fight.
After Sterling claimed the division’s belt on a disqualification of Yan for an illegal knee, he faced immense pressure to prove he wasn’t a paper champion. He proved that without a doubt in their second fight, consistently landing body kicks and also taking Yan to the mat for heavy ground-and-pound. On multiple occasions in that matchup, particularly in the second and third rounds, Sterling took his opponent’s back and nearly secured rear-naked choke attempts.
“I do think there will be, but everyone is different,” Sterling said. “It’s kind of hard to say exactly where he is with his mentality right now. How much does he actually want to fight? That’s the difference. He’s good and talented, but when he gets some pushback, will he be in there for the dogfight or will he bend over and quit? As of now, I’m looking at him as if he’s the toughest opponent I’ve had to face, and he’s going to be looking to scrap in every position.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Sterling and Cejudo make weight but UFC 288 hit by late-notice cancellationUFC 288 has taken a hit as a fighter experiencing weight-cutting issues has led to a match-up being scrapped just 24 hours before the event. On Friday morning, Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo ma…
Read more »
MMA star reveals hilarious reason for copying Paddy Pimblett’s hairstyle for UFC 288UFC star Paddy Pimblett has made a massive impact since signing with MMA’s premier promotion in 2021. ‘The Baddy’ has picked up four consecutive wins, a legion of new fans, and a few out-of-pocket …
Read more »
Idris Elba backs Sterling and Saka to become Premier League Hall of FamersTHIS WEEK several famous faces from throughout the entertainment world attended the Premier League Hall...
Read more »
Dana White suggests Conor McGregor ‘pounding’ whiskey at UFC rival's show led to viral videoDana White insists he’s not bothered by Conor McGregor making an appearance for one of the UFC’s rivals. ‘Notorious’ had quite the night at a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship [BKFC] event in Denv…
Read more »
I won Olympic gold and two UFC belts - now I'm back to dethrone 135lb championHenry Cejudo has had a legendary sports career and, despite what he claimed a few years ago, it’s not over yet. ‘Triple C’ shocked the MMA world when he called time on his combat sports career afte…
Read more »
Conor McGregor not welcome to train with Henry Cejudo because of Khabib Nurmagomedov trash talkFormer dual-weight UFC champion Henry Cejudo is not interested in training with Conor McGregor. ‘Triple C’ will return from his three-year retirement when he takes on bantamweight champion Aljamain…
Read more »