# UFC 288

**UFC 288: Sterling vs. Cejudo** was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event produced by the [Ultimate Fighting Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/ultimate-fighting-championship) on May 6, 2023, at the [Prudential Center](https://www.edgepedia.org/prudential-center) in [Newark, New Jersey](https://www.edgepedia.org/newark-new-jersey). In the main event, bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling defeated the returning former two-division champion Henry Cejudo by split decision to retain his title.<sup>[1](https://www.ufc.com/event/ufc-288)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.nj.gov/oag/sacb/results/2023-0506_Pro-MMA-UFC-Prudential-Newark-Results.pdf)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Date and venue | May 6, 2023, Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey<sup>[1](https://www.ufc.com/event/ufc-288)</sup> |
| Main event | Aljamain Sterling def. Henry Cejudo by split decision (48-47, 48-47, 47-48), UFC bantamweight title<sup>[2](https://www.nj.gov/oag/sacb/results/2023-0506_Pro-MMA-UFC-Prudential-Newark-Results.pdf)</sup> |
| Co-main event | Belal Muhammad def. Gilbert Burns by unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46)<sup>[3](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/ufc/ufc-288-results-sterling-cejudo-b2334243.html)</sup> |
| Attendance and gate | Sold-out crowd of more than 17,500; gate of $5.2 million, described by the arena as the highest-grossing sporting event in its history at the time<sup>[4](https://www.prucenter.com/news/ufc-delivered-25-million-economic-impact-for-newark-2023)</sup> |
| Economic impact | $25.1 million for the Newark metropolitan area; the ninth UFC event at the arena since 2007<sup>[4](https://www.prucenter.com/news/ufc-delivered-25-million-economic-impact-for-newark-2023)</sup> |
| Broadcast | Main card on ESPN+ pay-per-view in the United States, $79.99 for existing ESPN+ subscribers and $124.98 for new subscribers<sup>[5](https://as.com/us/masdeporte/ufc-288-sterling-vs-cejudo-horario-canal-de-tv-y-como-y-donde-ver-la-pelea-n/)</sup> |
| Referee (main event) | Herb Dean; judges Michael Bell, Derek Cleary, and Eric Colon<sup>[2](https://www.nj.gov/oag/sacb/results/2023-0506_Pro-MMA-UFC-Prudential-Newark-Results.pdf)</sup> |

## Background

The UFC announced in March 2023 that the pay-per-view card would return to the Prudential Center on May 6, with a targeted bantamweight title fight between champion [Aljamain Sterling](https://www.edgepedia.org/aljamain-sterling) and the returning [Henry Cejudo](https://www.edgepedia.org/henry-cejudo).<sup>[6](https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/3/7/23629224/ufc-288-set-to-take-place-in-new-jersey-on-may-6-kron-gracie-vs-charles-jourdain-among-additions)</sup> Cejudo, nicknamed "Triple C" for his Olympic wrestling gold, UFC flyweight title, and UFC bantamweight title, had retired immediately after defeating [Dominick Cruz](https://www.edgepedia.org/dominick-cruz) by technical knockout at UFC 249 in May 2020. He entered UFC 288 with a professional record of 16-2, attempting to take the bantamweight belt in his first fight in three years at age 36.<sup>[7](https://as.com/us/masdeporte/quien-es-henry-cejudo-el-campeon-triple-c-que-regresa-en-el-ufc-288-vs-aljamain-sterling-n/)</sup> Sterling, called "Funk Master," came in on an eight-fight winning streak, most recently stopping former champion TJ Dillashaw by technical knockout at UFC 280 in October 2022.<sup>[5](https://as.com/us/masdeporte/ufc-288-sterling-vs-cejudo-horario-canal-de-tv-y-como-y-donde-ver-la-pelea-n/)</sup>

The card changed during the build-up. An early announced lineup included a lightweight bout between former champion [Charles Oliveira](https://www.edgepedia.org/charles-oliveira) and [Beneil Dariush](https://www.edgepedia.org/beneil-dariush) and a featherweight bout between [Bryce Mitchell](https://www.edgepedia.org/bryce-mitchell) and Jonathan Pearce; Oliveira versus Dariush was instead slated as the co-main event of UFC 289 in Vancouver.<sup>[6](https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/3/7/23629224/ufc-288-set-to-take-place-in-new-jersey-on-may-6-kron-gracie-vs-charles-jourdain-among-additions)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[8](https://www.ufc.com.br/news/dana-white-announces-muhammad-vs-burns-co-main-event-ufc-288-and-more-london-jacksonville)</sup> Dana White announced Belal Muhammad versus Gilbert Burns as the UFC 288 co-main event, a welterweight bout with title implications.<sup>[8](https://www.ufc.com.br/news/dana-white-announces-muhammad-vs-burns-co-main-event-ufc-288-and-more-london-jacksonville)</sup> The card also marked the return of Kron Gracie, fighting for the first time since his October 2019 loss to Cub Swanson, against Charles Jourdain.<sup>[6](https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/3/7/23629224/ufc-288-set-to-take-place-in-new-jersey-on-may-6-kron-gracie-vs-charles-jourdain-among-additions)</sup> Two scheduled bouts, Daniel Santos versus Johnny Muñoz and Rafael Estevam versus Zhalgas Zhumagulov, were canceled.<sup>[2](https://www.nj.gov/oag/sacb/results/2023-0506_Pro-MMA-UFC-Prudential-Newark-Results.pdf)</sup>

## Main event: Sterling vs. Cejudo

Sterling won a five-round split decision, with judges Derek Cleary and Eric Colon scoring 48-47 for Sterling and Michael Bell scoring 48-47 for Cejudo.<sup>[2](https://www.nj.gov/oag/sacb/results/2023-0506_Pro-MMA-UFC-Prudential-Newark-Results.pdf)</sup> All three judges agreed Sterling won the first and fourth rounds and Cejudo won the third; the disputed second and fifth rounds decided the fight.<sup>[9](https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/5/7/23714222/aljamain-sterling-vs-henry-cejudo-official-ufc-288-scorecard)</sup> Cejudo, in his first fight since 2020, defended takedowns and scored some of his own, while Sterling landed the cleaner strikes across five rounds.<sup>[3](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/ufc/ufc-288-results-sterling-cejudo-b2334243.html)</sup>

The decision was close enough that media scoring diverged sharply from the official cards in one respect: 21 of 23 tracked media scorecards favored Sterling, seventeen of them at 48-47.<sup>[10](https://www.ufcalendar.com/events/ufc-288-2023-05-06/henry-cejudo-vs-aljamain-sterling)</sup> The win was Sterling's third consecutive successful title defense, which MMA Fighting reported as the best streak by any bantamweight champion in UFC history; two of the three defenses came by split decision.<sup>[9](https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/5/7/23714222/aljamain-sterling-vs-henry-cejudo-official-ufc-288-scorecard)</sup>

**Aftermath.** Shortly after the scorecards were read, top contender Sean O'Malley entered the cage to face off with Sterling, setting up Sterling's next defense. Security separated O'Malley from Sterling's teammate [Merab Dvalishvili](https://www.edgepedia.org/merab-dvalishvili), the UFC's number-one-ranked bantamweight, who was wearing O'Malley's jacket.<sup>[3](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/ufc/ufc-288-results-sterling-cejudo-b2334243.html)</sup>

## Co-main event and rest of the card

In the co-main event, [Belal Muhammad](https://www.edgepedia.org/belal-muhammad) outpointed [Gilbert Burns](https://www.edgepedia.org/gilbert-burns) over five rounds by unanimous decision, 50-45, 49-46, and 49-46, a result that set up a welterweight title shot for Muhammad. Burns was dealing with a shoulder injury during the fight.<sup>[3](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/ufc/ufc-288-results-sterling-cejudo-b2334243.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.nj.gov/oag/sacb/results/2023-0506_Pro-MMA-UFC-Prudential-Newark-Results.pdf)</sup>

The New Jersey State Athletic Control Board's official report records the remaining results:<sup>[2](https://www.nj.gov/oag/sacb/results/2023-0506_Pro-MMA-UFC-Prudential-Newark-Results.pdf)</sup>

- Xiaonan Yan def. Jessica Andrade by TKO (punch) at 2:20 of round one.
- [Movsar Evloev](https://www.edgepedia.org/movsar-evloev) def. Diego Lopes by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).
- Charles Jourdain def. [Kron Gracie](https://www.edgepedia.org/kron-gracie) by unanimous decision (30-27 on all three cards).
- Matt Frevola def. [Drew Dober](https://www.edgepedia.org/drew-dober) by TKO (strikes) at 4:08 of round one.
- Kennedy Nzechukwu def. Devin Clark by technical submission (standing guillotine) at 2:28 of round two.
- Khaos Williams def. Rolando Bedoya by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 27-30).
- Virna Jandiroba def. Marina Rodriguez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).
- Parker Porter def. Braxton Smith by TKO (strikes) at 2:10 of round one.
- Ikram Aliskerov def. Phil Hawes by KO (punch) at 2:10 of round one.
- Claudio Ribeiro def. Joseph Holmes by TKO (strikes) at 3:21 of round two.

## Attendance and economics

UFC 288 drew a sold-out crowd of more than 17,500 to the Prudential Center and recorded a gate of $5.2 million, which the arena described as the highest-grossing sporting event in its history at that time. A study commissioned around the event put its economic impact for the Newark metropolitan area at $25.1 million, and the show was the UFC's ninth at the Prudential Center dating back to 2007.<sup>[4](https://www.prucenter.com/news/ufc-delivered-25-million-economic-impact-for-newark-2023)</sup> The record later fell to UFC 302 at the same arena, which drew a $7.3 million gate in 2024.<sup>[11](https://dspace.njstatelib.org/bitstreams/008e304a-9717-404e-b2d1-180301afac35/download)</sup>

## References

1. [UFC 288: Sterling vs Cejudo, UFC.com](https://www.ufc.com/event/ufc-288)
2. [New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, official results, UFC 288, May 6, 2023](https://www.nj.gov/oag/sacb/results/2023-0506_Pro-MMA-UFC-Prudential-Newark-Results.pdf)
3. [Aljamain Sterling retains title against returning Henry Cejudo at UFC 288, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/ufc/ufc-288-results-sterling-cejudo-b2334243.html)
4. [UFC Delivered $25.1 Million in Economic Impact for Newark in 2023, Prudential Center](https://www.prucenter.com/news/ufc-delivered-25-million-economic-impact-for-newark-2023)
5. [UFC 288: Sterling vs Cejudo: horario, canal de TV, AS.com](https://as.com/us/masdeporte/ufc-288-sterling-vs-cejudo-horario-canal-de-tv-y-como-y-donde-ver-la-pelea-n/)
6. [UFC 288 set to take place in New Jersey on May 6, MMA Fighting](https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/3/7/23629224/ufc-288-set-to-take-place-in-new-jersey-on-may-6-kron-gracie-vs-charles-jourdain-among-additions)
7. [¿Quién es Henry Cejudo, el campeón 'Triple C' que regresó en el UFC 288?, AS.com](https://as.com/us/masdeporte/quien-es-henry-cejudo-el-campeon-triple-c-que-regresa-en-el-ufc-288-vs-aljamain-sterling-n/)
8. [Dana White Announces Muhammad vs Burns Co-Main Event For UFC 288, UFC.com](https://www.ufc.com.br/news/dana-white-announces-muhammad-vs-burns-co-main-event-ufc-288-and-more-london-jacksonville)
9. [Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo official UFC 288 scorecard, MMA Fighting](https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/5/7/23714222/aljamain-sterling-vs-henry-cejudo-official-ufc-288-scorecard)
10. [Aljamain Sterling vs Henry Cejudo result, UFCalendar](https://www.ufcalendar.com/events/ufc-288-2023-05-06/henry-cejudo-vs-aljamain-sterling)
11. [Office of the Governor, UFC Delivered $26.8 Million in Economic Impact for Newark in 2024, New Jersey State Library](https://dspace.njstatelib.org/bitstreams/008e304a-9717-404e-b2d1-180301afac35/download)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Combat sports and professional wrestling › Mixed martial arts › UFC numbered events 201–300*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*

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