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UFC 288 brought a mixed bag of results as the promotion made its return to New Jersey. Bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling remained in place when he eked out a win over former titleholder Henry Cejudo in the main event. Sterling took a narrow split decision home by cards of 48-47, 47-48 and 48-47.

After his win, Sterling was quick to call out Sean O'Malley, who was seated cageside, for a fight. The two traded barbs back and forth before being separated. UFC president Dana White said that the target is for the two to meet at UFC 292 in August.

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Elsewhere on the card, Belal Muhammad stamped his ticket to a title fight with a five-round decision over Gilbert Burns. Muhammad, who accepted the fight on three weeks' notice and while observing Ramadan, looked as fresh as ever in controlling the action over the course of the fight. Burns also appeared to suffer an injury in the middle of the fight that rendered his left arm nearly useless. Muhammad likely awaits the winner of current champ Leon Edwards and former two-time title challenger Colby Covington.

CBS Sports was with you throughout fight week with the latest news, in-depth features and betting advice to consider. Thanks for stopping by and we'll see you at UFC 289 in Vancouver, Canada.

UFC 288 fight card, results

  • Aljamain Sterling (c) def. Henry Cejudo via split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47)
  • Belal Muhammad def. Gilbert Burns via unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46)
  • Xiaonan Yan def. Jessica Andrade via first-round knockout (punch)
  • Movsar Evloev def. Diego Lopes via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
  • Charles Jourdain def. Kron Gracie via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Matt Frevola def. Drew Dober via first-round TKO (punches)
  • Kennedy Nzechukwu def. Devin Clark via second-round submission (guillotine choke)
  • Khaos William def. Rolando Bedoya via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Virna Jandiroba def. Marina Rodriguez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
  • Parker Porter def. Braxton Smith via first-round TKO (punches)
  • Ikram Aliskerov def. Phil Hawes via first-round knockout (punch)
  • Claudio Ribeiro def. Joseph Holmes via second-round TKO (punches)

UFC 288 countdown