Jump to
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
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.
About the author
