UFC 288: Aljamain Sterling vows to 're-retire The Cringe' and win respect he deserves

As Aljamain Sterling concedes, it can depend on whom you ask, but still it feels as though the UFC bantamweight champion does not garner the respect his résumé deserves.

Not least from upcoming opponent in the UFC 288 headliner this Saturday, when Sterling welcomes former champion, and previous two-division titleholder, Henry Cejudo back to competition.

Cejudo, who goes by the “Triple C” moniker in a nod to his dual UFC belts and a wrestling gold medal mined from the 2008 Olympics, returns to the world’s lead Mixed Martial Arts promotion at the Prudential Centre in Newark, New Jersey, following his retirement little more than three years ago.

For Sterling, who won the bantamweight belt in 2021 and defended it successfully for a second time at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi last October, this weekend simply provides another opportunity to silence the doubters.

Chief among them, Cejudo.

“I think it’s ballsy,” Sterling tells The National. “I don’t know if he thinks this is the perfect fight for him to come back to. I’ve heard him say some stuff like he doesn’t think I’m dangerous in any way.

“And I feel like so many have said the same exact words and then, right after the fight, they’re slowly playing the world’s tiniest violin. They’re all playing it.

“They realise it’s a different game when you step in there with me, man – my style, the way I adapt, the way I come into each fight, is completely different than what you saw last time.

“And I’m only getting better. I’m in my prime, where the mental meets the physical. And we’re going to see on May 6.”

It's #UFC288 fight week!