"He's just so much smaller"- UFC Champion Aljamain Sterling believes he can outwrestle Henry Cejudo
Aljamain Sterling thinks he would beat Henry Cejudo in a freestyle wrestling match.
Sterling defended the UFC bantamweight title for the second time at UFC 280 against former champion TJ Dillashaw. With the bantamweight division stacked with contenders, the debate over who should get the next 135-pound title shot has begun.
Aljamain Sterling wants "the money fight" with Sean O'Malley. 💰
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The most common responses have been Sean O’Malley, who is the number one contender, and former two-division champion Henry Cejudo, who is returning from retirement. Some believe Cejudo has a better path to victory because of his Olympic wrestling pedigree, but 'Funk Master' disagrees. During a video on his YouTube Channel, Aljamain Sterling had this to say about ‘Triple C':
“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.”
Sterling has been open about stepping away for several months after defending the bantamweight championship twice in 2022. MMA journalist Ariel Helwani previously reported the UFC was working on ‘Funk Master’ vs. ‘Triple C’ for UFC 284 in February 2023, but the champion might not be ready in time.
Watch Aljamain Sterling discuss wrestling with Henry Cejudo:
Henry Cejudo believes the UFC wants him to take out Aljamain Sterling
Henry Cejudo has done a phenomenal job marketing himself since retiring. ‘Triple C’ might not have necessarily won over every UFC fan, but his utilization of social media has kept him in the headlines. During an appearance on Michael Bisping’s Believe You Me podcast, the former two-division champion said this about his UFC return:
"They want Aljamain. They want me to pretty much take him out. I'm the hitman. They're sending me in. The bantamweight division's gotta move... The UFC wants a champion that can continue fighting."
Cejudo also mentioned that as of last month, he is eligible to compete after submitting USADA drug tests for six consecutive months. There is a possibility that the UFC decides to make an interim bantamweight title fight while Aljamain Sterling recovers, which could include 'Triple C.' It’ll be intriguing to see how the bantamweight division plays out over the next year.