Israel Adesanya fears for Aljamain Sterling for a few seconds as Bruce Buffer announces split score
Aljamain Sterling put his bantamweight championship on the line for the third time in UFC 288's main event. He went up against the former champion, the returning Henry Cejudo.
The fight was evenly contested with neither fighter definitively better throughout. The headliner ran its five-round course and as the decision drew close, fans watching on weren't the only ones nervous about the result.
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya was also going through the motions. 'The Last Stylebender' was seemingly backing Sterling to win, and expressed his dislike for 'Triple C'. In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Adesanya grimaced and was visibly tense as UFC's octagon announcer Bruce Buffer began reading out the result.
Craig Jones, Australian grappler and jiu-jitsu coach, was seated alongside Adesanya in the video while the middleweight champion exclaimed:
“Argh, please Aljo. Come on, man. Come on, man! Ah, here we go! There we go. They done did it again! Ah, f**k. They done did it again, I can tell already. Okay, haha. I was looking where Bruce is looking, AAAANNDDD… like f**k, so he can go, psych!”
After the split decision victory was announced in favor of Aljamain Sterling, Adesanya let out a relieved laugh and a thumbs up. He also started fanning himself with his hand to express how nervous he was.
The middleweight champion then enjoyed the call-out and subsequent face-off between Sean O'Malley and the bantamweight champion. He particularly enjoyed No.1-ranked contender and Aljamain Sterling's close friend, Merab Dvalishvili's antics with O'Malley's bright red jacket.
Watch Israel Adesanya's reaction to the UFC 288 main event below:
UFC 288: Sterling vs. Cejudo: 'Triple C' hints at retirement in statement following loss to Aljamain Sterling
Henry Cejudo came close but fell short in his bid to become a two-time bantamweight champion.
The former double champion's performance against Aljamain Sterling was certainly commendable, especially considering the three-year layoff. However, Cejudo has no intention to stick around if he cannot come good on his claims of making history.
'Triple C' also hinted in his octagon interview that it was possibly his last time in the octagon. In a tweet, Cejudo uploaded a video with the following caption that did not conclusively reveal his plans:
"Congrats to @funkmasterMMA on a competitive fight. My goal was to finish Aljo, and I fell short. What's next? If I can't make history, then I'm not doing this sh*t. I’m addicted to gold and climbing mountains. All I can say is -- stay tuned [trophy emoji x3]"
In the accompanying video, Henry Cejudo addressed his team and appreciated the work they had put in collectively.
Congrats to @funkmasterMMA on a competitive fight. My goal was to finish Aljo, and I fell short.
What's next? If I can't make history, then I'm not doing this sh*t. I’m addicted to gold and climbing mountains. All I can say is -- stay tuned 🏆🏆🏆
📽️: youtu.be/MqMTEXDXfN8 https://t.co/P8hUgOO9mv