UFC 288: "Sterling vs Cejudo" Live Play-By-Play & ResultsThe Ultimate Fighting Championship came to Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey tonight for UFC 288: “Sterling vs Cejudo.” The event featured a UFC Bantamweight Championship bout between Aljamain “Funk Master” Sterling and former flyweight champ Henry “The Messenger” Cejudo.

In the welterweight co-feature, Belal “Remember The Name” Muhammad faced Gilbert “Durinho” Burns for a future title shot. Elsewhere on the main card tonight, Jéssica “Bate Estaca” Andrade clashed with Xiaonan “Fury” Yan at strawweight. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for UFC 288.

 

UFC Bantamweight Championship

Aljamain “Funk Master” Sterling vs Henry “The Messenger” Cejudo

Round 1:
Sterling had early success with kicks to Cejudo’s leg and body, but Cejudo secured a body lock and easily took him down. Sterling got to his knees and Cejudo held him in a front headlock. Sterling rose to his feet and Cejudo caught a body kick. Sterling dropped levels for a takedown attempt of his own and Cejudo countered with another front headlock. The fight returned to the feet and Sterling got Cejudo down against the cage. He kneed him in the body and thigh. Cejudo got to his feet and Sterling dumped him to the mat again. Sterling landed two knees to Cejudo’s thigh and a hard left hand to the jaw as time expired. Back-and-forth round. 10-9 Sterling due to the strong finish.

Round 2:
The second round began with Sterling landing a body kick and a straight left. Cejudo landed a head kick, but he could not follow up and Sterling landed a leg kick. A lead left hook landed for Sterling, who stayed outside of Cejudo’s punching range. Sterling used his jab and leg kicks to keep Cejudo at bay, but he ducked his head and Cejudo countered with a kick that landed to Sterling’s upper chest. Sterling threw three more body kicks and fought off a clinch from Cejudo, who scored with a right hook late in the round. 10-9 Sterling.

Round 3:
Sterling was aggressive with quick body kicks in round three. Cejudo landed a high knee and a right hook as Sterling ducked his head. Sterling threw a front kick and Cejudo stuffed a takedown. He reversed a clinch, but Sterling swept out his leg. Cejudo stood and Sterling landed knees to his head and body. The fighters separated and Cejudo sprawled out of a Sterling takedown attempt. Back on the feet, both men landed body kicks and knees in close. Cejudo tripped Sterling and ended the back-and-forth round on top. 10-9 Sterling by a slim margin.

Round 4:
Sterling opened round four with more leg kicks and Cejudo landed one of his own. He countered a Sterling kick with a one-two and closed the distance with two right hands. Cejudo held Sterling against the cage until Sterling broke free and landed two calf kicks. Cejudo caught a body kick and Sterling landed two elbows and a knee. Cejudo whipped him down to the ground and Sterling powered back up from his knees. He pulled out Cejudo’s legs and got him down. The fighters stood and Sterling finished with a combination. 10-9 Sterling.

Round 5:
In round five, Sterling circled and kicked at Cejudo’s left calf. Action slowed as the fighters exchanged occasional leg kicks. Cejudo connected with a right hook and latched on to Sterling’s left leg. He cracked Sterling with a right hand to the jaw on the break. Cejudo sprawled out of a Sterling takedown and landed a knee to the body. As the fight entered its final minute, Cejudo landed a right hook and a leg kick, then dumped Sterling to the ground after catching a kick. He took Sterling’s back and held him in a clinch until the bell. 10-9 Cejudo.

Winner: Aljamain Sterling by Split Decision (48-47, 48-47, 47-48) after five rounds. He improves to 23-3-0 and remains the UFC Bantamweight Champion.

 

Belal “Remember The Name” Muhammad vs Gilbert “Durinho” Burns

Round 1:
The fighters were cautious in the opening two minutes until Muhammad caught a body kick and countered with a right hook. Burns landed a right hand and Muhammad threw a body kick of his own. He landed a hard knee as Burns shot in for a takedown. The fight remained on the feet and Muhammad landed a liver kick. In the final minute, Muhammad knocked Burns off-balance with a counter left hook as Burns threw a kick to the body. Muhammad landed a head kick shortly before the bell. 10-9 Muhammad.

Round 2:
Burns landed two leg kicks and a step-in right hand in the second round. Muhammad kicked his right forearm and switched stances frequently. Another step-in right hook scored for Burns, who connected with an overhand right soon after that. A hard body kick landed for Muhammad and the pace slowed as the round entered its final minute. Burns landed a leg kick late in the close round. 10-9 Muhammad.

Round 3:
Muhammad threw a body kick that was blocked by Burns and action remained sparse. Burns finally scored with a lead right hook after switching stance, but Muhammad landed a liver kick in response. With one minute to go, Muhammad landed a kick to the upper body and a straight left. He went high with a head kick late in the round. 10-9 Muhammad.

Round 4:
Muhammad continued to land kicks to Burns’s body and right forearm from a southpaw stance. Burns threw a switch kick that Muhammad narrowly got his hand up in time to block. An overhand right landed for Burns, but Muhammad was unfazed and countered with two more body kicks. He began to attack Burns’s right arm and shoulder with kicks. The arm had been injured earlier in the fight, or before the fight, and Burns commented on it between rounds. Muhammad threw more kicks to the arm in the final minute, but Burns countered with a right hook to his jaw. Better round for Burns. Still 10-9 Muhammad.

Round 5:
In the final round, Muhammad landed a kick to Burns’s right arm and a left cross. He targeted Burns’s body with two more kicks and Burns struggled to land anything. As Muhammad threw a head kick, Burns countered with a nice leg kick that briefly backed Muhammad up. Burns landed an overhand right and ate a one-two to the body. In the final 30 seconds, punches were exchanged and Muhammad landed an overhand right. 10-9 Muhammad.

Winner: Belal Muhammad by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46) after five rounds. He improves to 23-3-0, 1 ND.

 

Xiaonan “Fury” Yan vs Jéssica “Bate Estaca” Andrade

Round 1:
Yan started strong with leg kicks and a right hand to the body. She cracked Andrade with a right hook and continued to attack her lead leg. Andrade landed a looping right hand and ate a hard one-two in response. Yan landed an overhand right that snapped Andrade’s head back. As Andrade charged forward, Yan floored her with a right hook over the top. She followed with three hammerfists on the ground and the fight was stopped.

Winner: Xiaonan Yan by TKO (Punches) at 2:20 of round one. She improves to 18-3-0, 1 NC.

 

Movsar Evloev vs Diego Lopes

Round 1:
Evloev pressed forward aggressively and landed a right hook early in the fight, but Lopes countered with a looping right that backed Evloev up momentarily. More punches were exchanged and Lopes pulled guard with a leglock attempt. Evloev stayed calm and he worked from Lopes’s guard with punches to the body. Lopes spun into a deep armbar, but Evloev managed to pull his elbow out just enough to alleviate pressure. Lopes let go of the arm and Evloev resumed striking from the top. Lopes threw up his legs and trapped Evloev in an inverted triangle choke just before the bell. Close round. 10-9 Lopes due to the submission attempts.

Round 2:
Evloev got off to a good start in round two with lead left hooks and an overhand right. Lopes slowed down and Evloev tagged him with a one-two. Lopes landed one left hook and Evloev took him down. Evloev postured up with punches and elbows, then stood over Lopes and dropped a series of punches to his face and body as Lopes covered up. The round ended with Evloev landing punches to Lopes’s body. 10-9 Evloev.

Round 3:
In the final round, Evloev landed early right hands and an elbow, but Lopes connected with a solid right hook in response and that prompted Evloev to clinch. He dumped Lopes to the mat and landed right hands as Lopes stood up. Evloev took his back and he kneed Lopes’s thigh. Lopes latched on to a rolling kimura that he used to take top position in a partial mount, but Evloev rolled over and escaped out the back. The fighters stood and Evloev took Lopes’s back once more. Lopes attempted another rolling kimura and then switched to a kneebar. Evloev defended once, but Lopes cranked on the kneebar a second time. Evloev winced in pain, but he made it to the bell. Close final round as well due to Lopes’s rally. Still 10-9 Evloev.

Winner: Movsar Evloev by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 17-0-0.

 

Charles “Air” Jourdain vs Kron Gracie

Round 1:
Jourdain landed a six-punch combination as Gracie covered up early in the fight. Jourdain twice fought off alinches from Gracie, who continued to move forward. Jourdain landed an uppercut and then two more right hands. Gracie pulled guard and looked to set up a submission from the bottom, but Jourdain eventually stood up and Gracie followed. Jourdain landed a knee to the body and circled out of another clinch. He landed one more combination before the bell. 10-9 Jourdain.

Round 2:
Gracie jumped guard in round two and Jourdain landed an elbow from the top. Little transpired for the next two minutes as the fighters traded a handful of ineffective strikes. Back on the feet, Jourdain landed a combination and he cracked Gracie with a left elbow. Again, Gracie pulled guard, but he did nothing with it before time expired. 10-9 Jourdain.

Round 3:
Jourdain jabbed and landed a short uppercut as Gracie tried to clinch with him in the final round. A right hook scored for Jourdain and he prevented Gracie from pulling guard. Jourdain landed a hard right hook to Gracie’s body, then followed with elbows and a knee to the ribs. Gracie pulled guard and Jourdain stood up after a minute. He kicked at Gracie’s legs and forced him to get to his feet. Jourdain landed a knee to the body and an overhand left. Late in the round, Jourdain landed one more right cross and he closed out the fight with a head kick. 10-9 Jourdain.

Winner: Charles Jourdain by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 14-6-1.

 

(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)