Aljamain Sterling is not too keen on a matchup with Henry Cejudo.
The bantamweight division has been run by champion Aljamain Sterling for a year and a half. In that time he has defended his title twice, most recently at UFC 280 in October. Despite being just one month removed from his last defense, fans want to see him back in the cage sooner rather than later. Immediately following his win both the UFC and the fans began to throw out names. Of those mentioned were Sean O’Malley the number one contender, Marlon Vera the top five ranked bantamweight, and Henry Cejudo the former champion.
Cejudo’s name was thrown into the hat by Dana White. He seemed very interested to book that fight. Cejudo has been retired for two years but wants to make a comeback and face Sterling. Sterling has expressed wanting to take time off and pinpointed summer as a potential return date. He took to Youtube to discuss the possibility of facing Cejudo next.
“The Cejudo fight I just feel like no one really cares other than the hardcore and maybe the wrestling community which is cool but I think in terms of viewership and numbers and that’s where I’m at right now in my career,” he said. “Trying to maximize while I am sitting on the throne. I get pay-per-view points, the moment I lose the belt pay-per-view points are gone. I gotta do what’s best for me and at the same time, I would like to do what’s best for the fans which I think kind of works hand in hand. Usually, the biggest fight is the biggest fight that the fans want to see as well. So I’m gonna sit down and we’re gonna figure it out and see what’s the best one and if it is Cejudo I’ll gladly kick his ass too.”
Aljamain Sterling knows he has the tools to defeat Henry Cejudo if they fight
Sterling is taking a break from fighting. He mentioned in the video that he was currently 168 pounds and a bit out of shape. He said he heard people claiming that the UFC was looking at February in Perth Australia as a potential landing spot for his bout against Cejudo but he has not heard anything from the UFC on that front. If the two should meet, Sterling has no doubts that he will win.
“The guy is 5’2″ and I’m not saying he’s not dangerous he’s accomplished a lot and I’m lying he’s like 5’4″ maybe for my maybe 5’5″ maybe I don’t know, he’s a much shorter dude but he is a stocky guy, really talented grappler.,” he said. “I like my chances in that fight. I’m not saying I win it super easily but I think that matchup favors me. I mean he can say whatever he wants to say but the facts are the facts, he’s a smart dude and I’m sure he’s not naive to any of this. So Henry Cejudo if you want to make this happen we can make this happen after we discuss the landscape with the UFC and then we will see if you are truly the number one and deserving guy.”
Sterling seems willing to face whomever the UFC throws his way next but has mentioned before that he thinks the biggest money fight is one with O’Malley.
