UFC on ESPN 45 - Song vs. Simon --- UFC on ABC 4 - Rozenstruik vs. Almeida
UFC 288: Sterling vs. Cejudo is an upcoming mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that will take place on May 6, 2023, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Fight card
Main card
Bantamweight Aljamain Sterling (c) vs. Henry Cejudo Bantamweight Championship
Welterweight Belal Muhammad vs. Gilbert Burns
Women's Strawweight Jéssica Andrade vs. Yan Xiaonan
Featherweight Movsar Evloev vs. Diego Lopes
Featherweight Kron Gracie vs. Charles Jourdain
Preliminary card (ESPN / ESPN+)
Lightweight Drew Dober vs. Matt Frevola
Light Heavyweight Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Devin Clark
Welterweight Khaos Williams vs. Rolando Bedoya
Women's Strawweight Marina Rodriguez vs. Virna Jandiroba
Early preliminary card (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass)
Heavyweight Braxton Smith vs. Parker Porter
Middleweight Phil Hawes vs. Ikram Aliskerov
Flyweight Rafael Estevam vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov
Middleweight Joseph Holmes vs. Claudio Ribeiro
Bantamweight Daniel Santos vs. Johnny Muñoz Jr.
Background
The event will mark the promotion's ninth visit to Newark and first since UFC on ESPN: Covington vs. Lawler in August 2019.
A UFC Bantamweight Championship bout between current champion Aljamain Sterling and former UFC Flyweight and Bantamweight Champion Henry Cejudo (also 2008 Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling) is expected to headline the event.
Zhalgas Zhumagulov and Nate Maness were expected to meet in a flyweight bout at the event. However, Maness pulled out in early April due to injury and was replaced by Rafael Estevam, who was originally scheduled to fight two weeks earlier at UFC Fight Night: Pavlovich vs. Blaydes before an injury also took his opponent.
A featherweight bout between Bryce Mitchell and Jonathan Pearce was scheduled for the event. However, Pearce was forced to withdraw from the event due to injury. He was replaced by Movsar Evloev. Mitchell and Evloev were previously scheduled to headline UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs. Lemos in November 2022, but Evloev withdrew due to injury. In turn, Mitchell withdrew on the week of the event for unknown reasons and was replaced by promotional newcomer Diego Lopes who is now to face Movsar Evloev.
A lightweight bout between former UFC Lightweight Champion Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush was expected to take place as the co-main event. However, Oliveira withdrew due to an undisclosed injury. The fight was later rescheduled and moved to UFC 289.
Former UFC Welterweight Championship challenger Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad are expected to compete in a five-round welterweight bout in the co-main event.
May 3 - Updated fight card & background
