Movsar Evloev punches Diego Lopes at UFC 288 (MMA Fighting)
UFC Vegas 288: Sterling vs. Cejudo: Who all got the $50,000 bonus?
UFC 288 featured a bantamweight title fight between the champion, Aljamain Sterling, and former two-division champion, Henry Cejudo, who returned to the Octagon for the first time in three years.
From the moment the first fans filed into Newark’s Prudential Centre, the atmosphere was electric as several combatants entered the cage, each pair intent on claiming victory and catapulting themselves to new heights before the championship main event pair touched gloves and brought the show to a thrilling finale.
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling defeated former two-division champion Henry Cejudo via split decision to cap off Saturday night’s UFC 288 event in Newark, New Jersey.
From the opening bell, it was clear that this would be a tactical chess match, with both men hunting for openings in the grappling to land on their feet. While “Triple C” had his moments, Sterling’s attack was too rangy and varied for Cejudo to handle, and the champion was able to hammer Cejudo’s lead leg and force him to the outside for extended periods of time.
Sterling delivered his best damage on the inside, where Cejudo was most vulnerable, throwing knees and punches to the body to wear out the former champion’s gas tank and test his stamina. Cejudo continued to attack Sterling in the fifth round, hitting his most effective strikes to that point, but he was unable to finish him before the final bell rung.
Two of the three judges agreed that the champion had won the bout, making him the first person to successfully defend the bantamweight title three times. Sterling has won nine in a row, increasing his UFC record to 15-3.
In the co-main event, Belal Muhammad defeated Gilbert Burns with a strong technical performance, bringing his victory streak to five and his undefeated record to ten.
From the get-go, Muhammad showed that he was the more skilled fighter by going right after Burns and pounding him with kicks from all angles. The native of Chicago maintained impressive footwork throughout, stinging Burns with punches and pressing forward so that the former title challenger never found his footing or landed anything of note.
Muhammad capitalized on this opportunity to extend his unbeaten streak and set up a potential title bout with the UFC at welterweight for the future. He was just as effective and pressuring in the fifth round as he was in the first.
On Saturday, Yan Xiaonan defeated former champion Jéssica Andrade through first-round technical knockout to earn the biggest victory of her professional career.
The Chinese challenger came out looking sharp, taking potshots at Andrade as she attempted to advance.
Yan threw a right hand through the middle that knocked out Andrade midway through the round as the Brazilian pressed forward, pawing with broad hooks.
Yan put on a stunning display, and her victory was a huge one; she may now have earned a shot at defending her title against compatriot Zhang Weili later in the year.
After a tense first round, Movsar Evloev was able to defeat Diego Lopes and win his seventh consecutive UFC fight on Saturday to improve to 17-0.
The unbeaten Russian prospect, Evloev, had to defend and tighten up after Lopes wounded him on the feet early in the first and threatened with repeated submissions off his back.
Lopes took the fight with only five days’ notice, but by the second round, he was tired and Evloev was landing huge blows from inside his guard.
In the third round, Lopes displayed toughness and tenacity while threatening with repeated submission attempts; nonetheless, Evloev defended well and had done enough to narrowly escape with the victory and keep his unbeaten record. Lopes deserves high honors for his last-minute labor, while Evloev deserves praise for surviving a perilous test.
In the first fight of the UFC 288 main card, Charles Jourdain defeated Kron Gracie through unanimous decision thanks to his patient, technical, and tactical performance.
When the fight was on the feet, the French-Canadian consistently picked at Gracie, eventually dominating the action. When the fight got to the ground, the French-Canadian defended well and worked back to standing. Gracie was unable to take Jourdain down despite multiple attempts. However, Gracie was never in a position to threaten Jourdain or get a surrender.
Despite the fact that this wasn’t the flashy performance Jourdain is known for, it was just what the 27-year-old needed. Jourdain starts off 2023 on the right foot by breaking his losing streak, which spanned the entirety of last year.
Aljamain Sterling defeats Henry Cejudo by split decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47)
Belal Muhammad defeats Gilbert Burns by unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46)
Yan Xiaonan defeats Jéssica Andrade by TKO (strikes) at 2:20 of Round 1
Movsar Evloev defeats Diego Lopes by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Charles Jourdain defeats Kron Gracie by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Matt Frevola defeats Drew Dober by TKO (strikes) at 4:08 of Round 1
Khaos Williams defeats Rolando Bedoya by split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
Virna Jandiroba defeats Marina Rodriguez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Parker Porter defeats Braxton Smith by TKO (strikes) at 2:10 of Round 1
Ikram Aliskerov defeats Phil Hawes by KO (right hand) at 2:10 of Round 1
Claudio Ribeiro defeats Joseph Holmes by TKO (strikes) at 3:21 of Round 2
Fight of the Night: Movsar Evloev vs. Diego Lopes
Performance of the Night: Yan Xiaonan
Performance of the Night: Matt Frevola
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