06 May 2023 , 08:00
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Aljamain Sterling looks to make the third defence of his UFC bantamweight title when he welcomes Henry Cejudo in his octagon return tonight.
Sterling, 33, won the title in controversial fashion two years ago when Petr Yan was disqualified for illegally kneeing him in the head whilst on the ground. 'Funkmaster' has since silenced his critics by defending the 135lb belt by split decision against Yan and by stoppage against Dillashaw.
Cejudo, 36, is a former two-weight UFC champion that hasn't fought in three years having retired after his stoppage win against Dominick Cruz. 'Triple C' is widely considered one of the greatest MMA fighters ever with wins against the likes of Demetrious Johnson, Cruz and Dillashaw under his belt. Cejudo looks to reclaim the world title he never lost tonight so here's all you need to know about the big fight...
What time will Aljamain Sterling v Henry Cejudo start in the UK tonight?
Sterling and Cejudo are expected to make their ring walks at the Prudential Centre in New Jersey at around sold-out 5am on Sunday morning, with the fight getting underway shortly after that. The early prelims will begin at 11pm on Saturday night in the UK with the regular prelims to follow at around 1:30am.
The main card will begin at 3am in the UK with four fights taking place before the main event. It's expected that ring walks will get underway for the main event at around 5am given the duration of the main card with action to unfold shortly after. This will depend on the duration of the prior bouts however.
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How to watch Aljamain Sterling vs Henry Cejudo via TV and live stream
Fans can watch the UFC 288 prelims and main card on BT Sport 1 as part of their standard subscription to the service with no additional cost for the pay-per-view card. The fights will also be available to watch via the BT Sport app on mobile, tablet, select streaming devices, games consoles, and smart TVs.
Full fight card
Aljamain Sterling vs Henry Cejudo – for Sterling's UFC bantamweight title
Gilbert Burns vs Belal Muhammad
Jessica Andrade vs. Yan Xiaonan
Movsar Evloev vs. Bryce Mitchell
Kron Gracie vs Charles Jourdain
Preliminary card
Drew Dober vs. Matt Frevola
Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Devin Clark
Khaos Williams vs. Rolando Bedoya
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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
Odds
Sterling 5/6
Cejudo 5/6
Quotes corner
Sterling: "Henry is more of a folkstyle wrestler but the takedowns don't mean anything if you can't do damage or get control. I plan on exploiting that and seeing how much energy he really wants to exert trying to hold me down. If he wants to engage on the ground that's exactly where I want to be, it's where I'm going to slice him up and do a lot of damage.
Cejudo: "A lot of people think I'm not serious about coming back and that it's just about money, but it's really about making history and legacy. I've always looked up to guys like Michael Jordan and Manny Pacquiao, history makers that have done it and will be in the record books forever. Aljamain may train hard or smarter but I'm better than him and I'm going to prove that I'm the best bantamweight in the world.