Aljamain Sterling vs Henry Cejudo Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for UFC 288 (Cejudo Returns to Octagon With a Bang)

Sterling vs Cejudo Fight Info, Date & Time

UFC 288 — Main Event Bantamweight Championship Bout
Aljamain Sterling (22-3-0, 3 KOs) vs. Henry Cejudo (16-2-0, 8 KOs)
Date: Saturday, May 6, 2023
Fight Time: This will be the final fight on the main card, which begins at 10 p.m. ET.
Venue: Prudential Center — Newark, NJ
Coverage: ESPN+, PPV

Sterling vs Cejudo Odds & Prop Bets

All UFC 288 odds, lines and prop bets are available on FanDuel Sportsbook.
Moneyline:
- Aljamain Sterling: (-113)
- Henry Cejudo: (-113)

Method of Victory:
- Sterling by KO/TKO: (+1100)
- Sterling by Points: (+230)
- Sterling by Submission: (+410)
- Cejudo by KO/TKO: (+400)
- Cejudo by Points: (+210)
- Cejudo by Submission: (+1600)

Sterling vs Cejudo Prediction

It's been a long time since UFC fans last saw Henry Cejudo inside the octagon. He returns almost three years after his last fight (May 2020), which is something he teased throughout his "retirement." He now rides a six-fight winning streak into a battle against the current champ Aljamain Sterling.

Sterling has been a legitimate bantamweight champion for over a year now, defending his title against Petyr Yan in a closely contested rematch and TJ Dillashaw in a quick knockout victory. The 33-year-old possesses a unique skill set that is built around his jiu-jitsu and wrestling background growing up.

This matchup has toss-up written all over it, but I'm going to side with Cejudo. The 36-year-old is one of the best UFC fighters when it comes to creating a successful plan of attack. Ring rust is going to come in play early on, but he can counter Sterling's talent on the ground and win with a single strike.

Winner: Henry Cejudo (-113)

Sterling vs Cejudo Best Bet

There's a lot to like about simply backing Cejudo on the moneyline here as it doesn't involve heavily juiced odds. However, this is a guy that has won each of his last three fights via a knockout. His size disadvantage is something he has been able to overcome time and time again during his UFC career.

The last time Sterling lost a UFC bout, he was knocked out in the first round against Marlon Moraes, who was another fighter he had a clear reach advantage over. I trust Cejudo to lean on his ground skills early on in order to open up a KO opportunity. This bet is too hard to pass up for a big payout.

Bet: Henry Cejudo byt KO/TKO (+400)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

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