Can Henry Cejudo beat Sterling in under 3 rounds? UFC 288 betting odds

Check out the betting odds for the UFC 288 main event fight between Henry Cejudo and Aljamain Sterling.

By: Eddie Mercado | 1 month ago
Can Henry Cejudo beat Sterling in under 3 rounds? UFC 288 betting odds
Henry Cejudo weighs in for UFC 288. IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

UFC 288 is going down this Saturday (May 6th) from the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ and will be headlined by a bantamweight title fight. The UFC’s current 135-pound champ, Aljamain Sterling, will attempt to defend his belt for a record breaking third time against an unretiring former champion in Henry Cejudo. Let’s go check in with the betting lines to see what’s what.

We’ve got a pick’em fight on our hands! Both Aljo and Henry are available at both plus and minus lines, depending on where you look. Shopping around here might be wise. Sterling is listed anywhere from -120 up to +100, and likewise Cejudo can also be scooped up with lines ranging from -120 up to +100.

Cejudo has been quite vocal about his prediction of taking out Sterling in less than three rounds. Well, the oddsmakers do not share the same sentiment as Triple C, and actually favor this fight going the distance. The prop bet ‘Fight goes to decision’ is listed with a minus line of -135, with a +108 comeback on the ‘Fight doesn’t go to decision’ option.

In his last four fights, Henry only went the distance in one of them. Before hanging up the gloves, Cejudo posted up a trio of fantastic finishes in under three rounds, including T.J. Dillashaw, Marlon Moraes, and Dominick Cruz. He really was being lethal at the highest level before stepping away. As for Aljamain, three of his last four also ended without the need for any scorecards. These guys are rocking wild finishing rates of 75% in their last four respective UFC appearances. Yes, Aljo got blasted by an illegal knee, but a fight ending early is a fight ending early.

Or those expecting this UFC 288 main event to end early, there’s ‘Cejudo wins inside distance’ trending at +280, and then ‘Sterling wins inside distance’ slightly further out at +300. If you’re not willing to overlook how hard either man is to kill, then there’s ‘Cejudo wins by decision’ nestled at +200, followed by ‘Sterling wins by decision’ up a bit at +225.

UFC 288: Henry Cejudo vs. Aljamain Sterling betting odds

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UFC 288 fight card

Main card (10:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV)

  • Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo: Bantamweight Title
  • Gilbert Burns vs. Belal Muhammad: Welterweight
  • Jéssica Andrade vs. Xiaonan Yan: Strawweight
  • Movsar Evloev vs. Diego Lopes: Featherweight
  • Kron Gracie vs. Charles Jourdain: Featherweight

Prelims (8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+)

  • Drew Dober vs. Matt Frevola: Lightweight
  • Devin Clark vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu: Light Heavyweight
  • Khaos Williams vs. Rolando Bedoya: Welterweight
  • Marina Rodriguez vs. Virna Jandiroba: Strawweight

Early Prelims (6:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+)

  • Braxton Smith vs. Parker Porter: Heavyweight
  • Phil Hawes vs. Ikram Aliskerov: Middleweight
  • Zhalgas Zhumagulov vs. Rafael Estevam: Flyweight
  • Claudio Ribeiro vs. Joseph Holmes: Middleweight
  • Daniel Santos vs. Johnny Munoz Jr: Bantamweight

*Do you or someone you know have a gambling addiction? Get help by contacting The National Council on Problem Gambling at 1-800-522-4700.

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About the author
Eddie Mercado
Eddie Mercado

Eddie Mercado is a writer and content creator for Bloody Elbow, and has covered combat sports since 2015. Eddie covers everything from betting odds and live events, to fighter interviews and co-hosting the 6th Round post-fight show and the 6th Round Retro. He retired at 1-0 in professional MMA, competed in one Muay Thai match in Thailand, and is currently a purple belt in Jiu-Jitsu under the great Diego Bispo.

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