Aljamain Sterling keeps title with split decision over Henry Cejudo at UFC 288

NEWARK — After weeks of back-and-forth banter, ratcheted up with incendiary remarks during interviews and less-than-friendly videos posted on social media as fight night neared, Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo eventually had to meet inside the octagon at UFC 288.

It was there Saturday night inside the Prudential Center that the physical verification of spoken bravado — and the UFC bantamweight championship — was decided. And after 25 minutes of solid grappling and striking, Sterling had his hand raised in victory. He earned a split decision, with the judges scoring it 48-47, 47-48, 48-47.

“I definitely thought I had it 3-2,” Sterling said. “But at the same time, you just never know. People give ring generalship to the guy who’s walking forward and making a mean face.”

The win in front of the sold-out crowd of 17,559 fans gave the Uniondale-raised and Serra-Longo-trained Sterling his third consecutive defense of the undisputed UFC bantamweight title, the most in promotional history.

“I don't think a lot of people can even appreciate what was going on in the middle of that octagon,” said Sterling (23-3). “Both of us making adjustments to each other's adjustments. It was a high-level physical chess match.”

Sterling was credited with four takedowns of Cejudo (16-3), who had been taken down only once in the UFC before his retirement three years ago.

The first round started with Sterling moving forward with kicks. As the fighters began to feel each other out, each had the other on the ground and in control. The round ended with Sterling on Cejudo’s back against the cage.

“I could have adjusted on some things, and that’s what bugs me,” Cejudo said. “Especially in that first round.”

Round 2 was more technical with the striking as neither Sterling nor Cejudo looked for many opportunities to get the fight to the floor until the last seconds.

Cejudo, a former Olympic gold medalist in wrestling and former bantamweight and flyweight champion, was able to stuff most of Sterling’s takedown attempts in the third round, but Sterling did get him down to one knee against the cage after battling in the clinch for it. Cejudo got a takedown in the final seconds.

“It was obviously a big win,” said UFC president Dana White, adding that he scored the fight for Sterling. “Going in and grilling it out for five rounds with Henry Cejudo regardless of the weight and size differences, it's a big deal to beat him.”

Sterling seemed to have the better of the striking in the fourth round, landing some clean body shots and good knees in the clinch. Both fighters exchanged takedowns in the final minute, though neither could advance his position to cause much damage.

Cejudo appeared to get the better of the striking in the final round. Late in the round, he caught Sterling’s leg and got him on the ground against the cage, but Sterling quickly got back to his feet.

“I wasn’t expecting him to keep coming like that,” Cejudo said of Sterling’s overall performance. “He did a good job.”

Sterling won the first and fourth rounds on all three judges’ scorecards, with Cejudo swept the third round. Judge Eric Colon scored the second round for Sterling, and judge Derek Cleary gave the fifth round to Sterling.

The win was Sterling’s 14th in the bantamweight division, the most in UFC history.

Cejudo was unclear about what he would do next, suggesting at times that he could fight again and other times that he might retire again.

Sterling’s next fight figures to be “Suga” Sean O’Malley as the two met in the cage after Sterling beat Cejudo. They exchanged words on the microphone and away from it as O’Malley and Dvalishvili also exchanged words.

“I've had better ideas than what I did tonight,” White said about bringing O’Malley into the octagon. “Not a great idea. But yes, he's next.”

Sterling said he expects to hear some negativity from the split-decision win, not unlike some of his previous title victories. That matters little to him.

“Get used to this face,” Sterling said, “because it’s not going anywhere.”

By Mark La Monica

mark.lamonica@newsday.comLaMonicaMark

Mark La Monica is a deputy sports editor at Newsday. He also covers mixed martial arts.