Aljamain Sterling stands atop the promotional art for his next title defense at UFC 288.
“Funk Master” makes his third straight defense of the UFC bantamweight championship when he faces the returning Henry Cejudo at the upcoming May 6 pay-per-view, which takes place at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
See the newly released poster here:
Here’s your first look at the official #UFC288 poster
[ Sat. May 6 | @PruCenter | https://t.co/iSEFCBODin ] pic.twitter.com/uqBqI2Dn8i
— UFC (@ufc) April 6, 2023
Sterling — No. 1 at 135 pounds in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings — is coming off of a dominant second-round TKO of T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 280 this past October, which marked his eighth straight victory. In Cejudo, Sterling faces his most decorated challenger yet, an Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler who claimed UFC titles in two divisions before stepping away from MMA competition in 2020.
In the co-main event, former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira fights for the first time since losing that title to Islam Makhachev. He takes on the streaking Beneil Dariush, winner of eight straight fights, including a thrilling decision win over Mateusz Gamrot in his most recent outing. Oliveira sits at No. 2 in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings at lightweight, with Dariush just behind in a tie at No. 3.
See the updated card for UFC 288 below.
Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo
Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush
Kron Gracie vs. Charles Jourdain
Jessica Andrade vs. Yan Xiaonan
Bryce Mitchell vs. Jonathan Pearce
Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Devin Clark
Andre Petroski vs. Armen Petrosyan
Khaos Williams vs. Rolando Bedoya
Marina Rodriguez vs. Virna Jandiroba