UFC 288 results, highlights: Aljamain Sterling edges out Henry Cejudo to retain title, calls out Sean O'Malley

'Aljo' managed to hold on to his title by a thin margin and set up a future fight with O'Malley

Henry Cejudo's bid to regain the bantamweight title he never lost after three years away from the sport came up short on Saturday at UFC 288 in Newark, New Jersey. But it wasn't by much.

Aljamain Sterling was the busier striker and landed key takedowns in a highly competitive 135-pound title fight that headlined the pay-per-view card inside the Prudential Center. In the third defense of his title, Sterling (23-3) edged Cejudo (16-3) via split decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47) and proceeded to begin hyping a possible fall showdown with top contender Sean O'Malley leading to both fighters needing to be separated inside the cage.

"Hats off to Henry Cejudo. I knew it was a close fight coming in and I wasn't sure which way the decision would go," Sterling said. "I thought I had it, 3-2. Man, I wish I could've done a little bit better but Henry is a f---ing dog and he's a legend. There are no easy fights and I knew I just couldn't run through him like I could everyone else."

Sterling, who hails from nearby Uniondale, New York, on Long Island, endured heavy boos at times from the Newark crowd which broke out in chants of "Henry!"

In a high-paced thriller that was more chess than brawling, the 36-year-old Cejudo persevered despite swelling below his right eye in his first fight since abruptly retiring following a May 2020 title defense against Dominick Cruz. The former two-division champion, who won Olympic gold in 2008, was able to take Sterling down but never keep him there or make him pay.

"He's tougher than I thought," Cejudo said. "You watch him fight and think there is a lot of openings, but he's a gamer. It has been a few years but I had a great camp. My coaches tell me I won 2, 4 and 5, but it doesn't matter because the judges didn't think so.

"We knew it was close but Aljamain did his job and he got the victory. It sucks and I hate losing but it has also been three years. I'm just a little confused right now about my future."

The disputed victory was just another in a long line of odd results – completely out of his control – that have prevented Sterling from drawing universal acclaim critically as the best fighter in the sport's deepest and most talented division. But his performance was just as strong as his 2022 victory over former champion Petr Yan in their rematch as Sterling used movement and kicks to keep Cejudo guessing.

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Cejudo appeared to do his best work in terms of striking during the championship rounds, but Sterling never allowed him to build any sustained momentum following five rounds that could've been scored either way in a highly competitive fight.

"Henry's takedown defense, I knew it was going to be tough," Sterling said. "He stuffed a lot of my takedowns, but persistence is going to keep on shining and that's what we did. We stayed persistent and kept gunning for the takedown. I think that's where I won the fight, the striking. Look at my face and look at his."

O'Malley (16-1, 1 NC) stared Sterling down during a post-fight faceoff after he was welcomed into the cage. He also nearly came to blows with Sterling's teammate, fellow top bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili.

"You better hope you fight better than that," O'Malley said to Sterling. "You better be ready to come with it. You better look better than that, you looked like shit."

"Bring that sweet ass, Suga," Sterling said. "I'll drag your ass up and down this f---ing Octagon, bitch. Get the f--- out of my cage. Get this piece of shit out of my cage.

"Signed, delivered and sealed. September."

After the fight, Cejudo contemplated retirement but left the door open regarding a return.

"Should I continue?" Cejudo pondered. "If I'm not first, I'm last. Maybe Ricky Bobby was right. My goal was to beat Aljo and move up to 145 pounds but now I didn't get the victory over him so I don't know where that puts me.

"Who knows, this may be the last you have seen of me in the Octagon."

Sterling's win was his 14th at 135 pounds, good for the top spot in UFC bantamweight history. He also extended his win streak to nine fights dating back to a 2017 knockout loss to Marlon Moraes.

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 the entire way on Saturday bringing you all the results and highlights from the UFC 288 below.

UFC 288 card and 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)

[May 7, 2023 at 1:14 am ET · Brian Campbell]

Scorecards: 48-47 Cejudo, 48-47 Sterling and 48-47 Sterling. It's a split decision for Aljo. 

[May 7, 2023 at 1:12 am ET · Brian Campbell]

I've got it 48-47 for Sterling in a close fight. 

[May 7, 2023 at 1:12 am ET · Brian Campbell]

R5: Final round goes to Cejudo for pressure, 10-9. 

[May 7, 2023 at 1:12 am ET · Brian Campbell]

R5: The crowd chants for Henry even though this isn't far from Sterling's Long Island home. Good fight until the final horn. They hug. 

[May 7, 2023 at 1:11 am ET · Brian Campbell]

R5: More calf kicks from Cejudo. He catches a kick and runs Sterling all the way to the other side of the cage to take him down. That should secure the round.

[May 7, 2023 at 1:11 am ET · Brian Campbell]

R5: Sterling catches a kick attempt and they clinch against the fence. This is where their grappling cancels each other out.

[May 7, 2023 at 1:10 am ET · Brian Campbell]

R5: Cejudo looks at the clock. He lands two calf kick. Cejudo stuffs a takedown. 

[May 7, 2023 at 1:09 am ET · Brian Campbell]

R5: Big right hand from Cejudo. That's his best strike in some time and could be big for this round.

[May 7, 2023 at 1:09 am ET · Brian Campbell]

R5: Nice left hand from Aljo after he switched stances. Cejudo answers with the same exact punch. 

[May 7, 2023 at 1:08 am ET · Brian Campbell]

R5: Cejudo kicks to the body. More pressure from the former champion. Sterling creates room to escape with a spinning back kick. 

[May 7, 2023 at 1:08 am ET · Brian Campbell]

R5: Body kick hits for Cejudo and Aljo answers with his own. This is a fast pace for the final round. 

[May 7, 2023 at 1:07 am ET · Brian Campbell]

ROUND 5: Hard calf kicks from Sterling and he darts out of danger each time after landing. Great movement to make Cejudo chase.

[May 7, 2023 at 1:05 am ET · Brian Campbell]

R4: Another close round. Cejudo edged it with the striking, 10-9.