Kelvin Gastelum is confident Henry Cejudo will defeat Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288.
On May 6, Cejudo returns to the Octagon after vacating the UFC bantamweight championship and retiring in May 2020. Three years later, the Olympic gold medalist plans to regain the 135-pound title by dethroning Sterling.
Although ‘Triple C’ has stayed in shape, there are concerns about how his long layoff will affect his performance against Sterling, who is riding an eight-fight win streak. With that said, Gastelum is willing to bet the house on the former two-division champion winning at UFC 288. He had this to say during a video on Cejudo’s YouTube channel:
“The guy is a constant reminder of what it is to be a champion. He’s in here day in and day out, putting the work in, you can see it. He’s the first one here, last one to leave. The guy is a constant example of what it is to be a UFC champion.”
Gastelum continued by saying:
“It’s very cool to be around him, very cool to pick his brain, and I’m very happy to see him, very happy to see him return and for that world title. I believe he beats them all, number one through number ten, so I believe in Henry, that’s my little big brother. I see him doing work, I feel like he’s gonna get his hand raised without a doubt, bet the house on it.”
Sterling last fought in October 2022, defeating an injured TJ Dillashaw with a second-round TKO. ‘Funk Master’ continues to be questioned throughout his title reign, despite defending the 135-pound title twice. He looks to silence the doubters by spoiling Cejudo’s Octagon return.
Watch Henry Cejudo’s recent YouTube video below:
Kelvin Gastelum praises Henry Cejudo’s approach to MMA
Henry Cejudo has accomplished more than one legendary milestone. ‘Triple C’ is a former two-division UFC champion and an Olympic gold medalist. He also holds wins against Demetrious Johnson, TJ Dillashaw, and Dominick Cruz. During the same YouTube video, Kelvin Gastelum discussed the greatness of Cejudo by saying:
“I mean the guy has done it all in the sport. The guy is gonna go down in history, he’s gonna go down in the Hall of Fame. It’s just cool to be around him, cool to pick his brain, see what he does, what he brings to the table. It’s a lot more than just MMA skills. The guy brings a whole mentality and approach to MMA that’s unlike any other person that I’ve seen.”
Cejudo last fought in May 2020, defeating Dominick Cruz to retain the UFC bantamweight championship. The former two-division world champion shockingly announced his retirement, leaving fans wondering if he’d return. Since then, ‘Triple C’ has focused on building his fanbase before returning to continue building his legacy.
Only time will tell if Cejudo can pick up where he left off by defeating Aljamain Sterling.
