UFC 288
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mixed martial arts promotion |
| Founded | November 12, 1993 |
| Founder | Art Davie, Rorion Gracie |
| Headquarters | Las Vegas, Nevada , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Dana White (President) |
| Products | Mixed martial arts events, broadcasting rights |
| Owner | Endeavor Group Holdings |
| Website | www |
UFC 288: Sterling vs. Cejudo was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on May 6, 2023, hosted at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Background
This event represented the UFC's ninth occasion hosting a fight in Newark and its first return since August 2019.
The main event featured a UFC Bantamweight Championship clash between reigning titleholder Aljamain Sterling and former two-division champion Henry Cejudo.
Originally, a flyweight contest was scheduled between Zhalgas Zhumagulov and Nate Maness, but after Maness withdrew due to injury, Rafael Estevam stepped in as his replacement. However, the bout was ultimately canceled because Estevam encountered difficulties managing his weight.
In the featherweight division, a matchup between Bryce Mitchell and Jonathan Pearce experienced multiple changes. Pearce was substituted by Movsar Evloev, who had previously pulled out of a fight against Mitchell. Subsequently, Mitchell withdrew with a shoulder injury and was replaced by newcomer Diego Lopes.
The co-main event was initially planned as a lightweight bout featuring former champion Charles Oliveira against Beneil Dariush. Oliveira’s injury led to the postponement of this fight to UFC 289.
In place of that fight, the co-main event spotlighted a five-round welterweight bout between ex-title contender Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad.
A bantamweight fight between Daniel Santos and Johnny Muñoz Jr. was removed from the card after Santos suffered an injury that forced his withdrawal.
During the weigh-ins, Joseph Holmes came in three pounds over the limit for his middleweight non-title contest. The fight proceeded at catchweight with Holmes fined 20% of his purse, which was awarded to his opponent Claudio Ribeiro.
Bonus Awards
The following competitors were each granted $50,000 bonuses:
- Fight of the Night: Movsar Evloev vs. Diego Lopes
- Performance of the Night: Yan Xiaonan and Matt Frevola
Aftermath
On June 27, the United States Anti-Doping Agency revealed that Braxton Smith received a two-year ban following positive tests for external testosterone detected in April and May.