Reigning UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo had a backstage run-in during the UFC 285 event.
Sterling and Cejudo are being targeted for a 135-pound title clash at UFC 288 on May 6. The event is set to take place inside the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Both men were in attendance for UFC 285 and had to be separated after exchanging verbal jabs face-to-face. The footage was posted on ESPN MMA’s Twitter account.
Things are heating up between Cejudo and Sterling backstage at #UFC285 🔥 🔊 pic.twitter.com/Nr3hAX6XiR
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 5, 2023
“May 6, I’m going to bury your ass,” Cejudo told Sterling. “May 6, I’m going to bury your corny ass.”
“I’m going to make you my little b****,” Sterling fired back.
“Shut up, get out of here,” Cejudo said.
Over the past couple of years, Cejudo had been teasing making a comeback, taking aim at the likes of Sterling, Petr Yan, and Sean O’Malley on social media. Late last year, Sterling told The Schmo that he can’t see any scenario where Cejudo gets his hand raised against him.
“He has the wrestling advantage on paper. If it was a wrestling match, they say he would win, even though I don’t think so. If it’s freestyle, ok, maybe I’ll give him the freestyle. I don’t even see how he would win. He’s just so much smaller than me. What is your path to victory in beating me in a freestyle match? Like you took a shot, I can step around and cut the corner on you and expose your back for points. People think my wrestling is not up to par with these guys just because they got a gold medal. I’m like, okay, cool, bro. I wrestled with a lot of high-level guys, and I probably wrestle more competitively now than you do.”
Time will tell if Henry Cejudo can recreate the magic that made him a two-weight UFC champion or if Sterling will continue to prove that he is the UFC’s best 135-pounder.
