All You Need to Know About UFC 288: Sterling vs Cejudo Headlines Main Card

• Aljamain Sterling will defend his bantamweight title versus Henry Cejudo at UFC 288
• Gilbert Burns will face Belal Muhammad in a battle of top welterweight contenders
• Movsar Evloev will look to preserve his unbeaten MMA record against Diego Lopes

We are just a few days away from UFC 288, and excitement is building for one of the year's biggest fights.

Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo will lock horns this Saturday at the Prudential Center for the UFC Bantamweight Championship.

Here’s all you need to know about Sterling vs. Cejudo and the other fights on the main card for UFC 288.

Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo 

The much-anticipated bantamweight title showdown between reigning champion, Sterling and challenger, Cejudo - a decorated former champion in the division - will headline the card.

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Sterling captured the title at UFC 259 with a disqualification victory against Petr Yan, then retained the crown with a split decision win in a rematch at UFC 273.

He last fought at UFC 280, defeating former bantamweight champ, TJ Dillashaw, who injured his shoulder during the bout.

Sterling will next face Cejudo, who is coming out of a three-year retirement for a shot at the championship, per Yahoo! Sports.

His last fight in the Octagon happened at UFC 249, with Cejudo recording a TKO win over Dominick Cruz in the second round to defend his title.

Gilbert Burns vs. Belal Muhammad 

The fight between Burns and Muhammad only came together a few weeks ago after the Charles Oliviera vs. Beneil Dariush bout was scrapped.

Burns vs. Muhammad is a worthy replacement, though, with the winner of that fight in a prime position to become the next challenger for the welterweight title.

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Muhammad enters the Burns clash on a four-fight winning streak. He is also unbeaten in his last nine fights. He impressed at UFC 280, giving Sean Brady his first loss.

Things are bound to get tougher for Muhammad this coming Saturday as he will face the in-form Burns.

He is 7-2 since returning to the welterweight division in August 2019. Burns will be making his third appearance in the UFC this year.

Jessica Andrade vs. Yan Xiaonan 

Like Burns, Andrade will make her third appearance in the Octagon this year when she squares off with Chinese star, Yan Xiaonan.

Andrade is returning to the strawweight division after plying her trade in the flyweight division in the past year.

Her last fight as a strawweight came on April 24, 2022, when she defeated Amanda Lemos via submission. She locked in a standing arm-triangle choke against Lemos to grab the win in the first round.

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Andrade will look to get back on track after losing to flyweight, Erin Blanchfield in her last fight.

She will be tested by Yan, who snapped a two-fight losing streak with a majority decision win over Mackenzie Dern last October.

Movsar Evloev vs Diego Lopes 

Evloev stepped in on short notice to fight Bryce Mitchell as a replacement for Jonathan Pearce. He will no longer be fighting Mitchell, who has been forced to withdraw from his featherweight bout just days before UFC 288.

Evloev will now put his unbeaten MMA record on the line against Lopes, who carries a 20-5 slate.

Evloev has won all six of his fights in the UFC, including an impressive unanimous decision victory over Dan Ige last June.

Kron Gracie vs Charles Jourdain

Gracie will end his three-year hiatus this weekend when he squares off with Jourdain in the main card opener.

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He started his MMA career with five straight wins, including an impressive submission victory in his UFC debut against Alex Caceres on February 2019.

Gracie has been missing in action since losing to veteran, Cub Swanson via unanimous decision later that year.

He will look to make a winning return against Jourdain, who is 4-5-1 through his first 10 appearances in the UFC.

Du Plessis to face Whittaker

Sports Brief recently reported on Dricus Du Plessis facing Robert Whittaker at UFC 290.

Dana White confirmed the title eliminator would confirm Israel Adesanya’s next fighter.

Izzy regained his Middleweight title at UFC 287 and turned his focus to du Plessis after.