UFC 288 Tips and Predictions

Dateline Newark, New Jersey!!!

The combat sports leader is bringing violence back to New Jersey with a stacked card.

A much-anticipated Super fight between the former and current champion will steal the show.

The co-main event will feature a last-minute 5-round non-title fight which has uplifted the card as top 5 Welterweights will fight out a title eliminator.

We cashed in our Parlay last week and are pumped to continue the good form, so let’s get into it!

Aljamain Sterling vs Henry Cejudo

The Flyweight, Bantamweight, and Olympic champion, Henry Cejudo who is regarded as one of the best is back to add another champion to his stellar resume.

Enter; Champion, Aljamain Sterling who represents the new generation of 135-pounders and is on his path to greatness which will be solidified with a win over the former double champion.

The Bantamweight GOAT status is the hottest debate topic among UFC fans and this fight can very well settle all the debate and cement the status.

Aljamain Sterling claimed the Bantamweight throne in a controversial DQ but his multiple title defenses against former champions have earned him the respect of the fight fans.

The champion is riding a respectable 8-fight win streak having overcome some tough challenges like Petr Yan, T.J. Dillashaw, and Cory Sandhagen.

Sterling is a volume-heavy striker who relies on overwhelming his opponents to find his takedown opportunities which leads to his elite grappling and Jiu-Jitsu skills.

His striking and wrestling defense will be his key in his matchup to unlock a third title defense.

Henry Cejudo makes his grand return coming out of retirement to remind the new fight fans why he is regarded as one of the best fighters to ever compete.

Cejudo retired on a 6-fight win-streak which included wins over fellow elite fighters Dominick Cruz, Demetrious Johnson, T.J. Dillashaw, and Marlon Moraes.

The Olympic gold medallist transitioned his elite skills to the MMA world by adding crisp boxing and lethal leg kicks to his arsenal which made him a force to be reckoned with.

Henry has only been taken down once in his UFC career by the great Demetrious Johnson, so we think his grappling prowess will be his clearest pathway to victory this weekend. When we see two elite grapplers compete, it turns into a kickboxing fight and if that is the case this will be a fun contest this weekend.

Best Bets

Our first pick this week comes on a main-card Women’s flyweight fight between Jéssica Andrade and Yan Xiaonan.

This fight should be closer than the odds have it because as long as it stays on the feet, we think Yan is the more technical striker.

We've seen plenty of robberies by the judges in 3-round fights, so we'll take a stab at the near 3/1 underdog to get it done via decision.

Next up is an intriguing co-main event between Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns.

We think Gilbert is the better striker who has more power and submission advantages on the ground.

The Brazilian has had a far superior strength of schedule and we think this is a very winnable matchup for him, so we'll back our guy in a pick-em matchup.

Our final bet comes on the main event between Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo.

Barring the lay-off we think Cejudo is better wherever this fight goes.

He has more power, better boxing, superior wrestling offense & defense along with more championship experience.

Cejudo is a mastermind at strategizing and has trained a lot of UFC Champions like Deiveson Figueiredo and Weili Zhang during his lay-off.

We'll pick the former champion to use his fight IQ and regain the Bantamweight throne via knockout or decision.

Selection: Yan Xiaonan by Points (Wining Method) @3.2

Selection: Gilbert Burns (Winner) @1.82

Selection: Henry Cejudo by KO or Points (Wining Method, Double Chance) @2.03

Selection: Parlay all Selections @11.8