Fight Facts: UFC 288 ‘Sterling vs. Cejudo’

Fight Facts is a breakdown of all of the interesting information and Octagon oddities on every card, with some puns, references and portmanteaus to keep things fun. These deep stat dives delve into the numbers, providing historical context and telling the stories behind those numbers.

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TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC FIGHTS: 7,128
TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC EVENTS: 646

The Ultimate Fighting Championship took to the storied Prudential Center in New Jersey for another important show in the organization’s history. Records aplenty were set or approached for the victor of the main event, who continues to win in spite of doubters and haters. UFC 288 featured a new high for title defenses at 135 pounds, a 170-pound contender who finally has done enough to punch his ticket to gold and a surprising plunking in the strawweight division.

No Need to Rush: Brazilian powerhouses Gilbert Burns and Jessica Andrade each entered into their third UFC outings this year at UFC 288. This heightened level of activity did not prove successful for either, as both lost by night’s end.

Never-Ending Disrespect for the Champ: Taking a narrow split decision over ex-champ Henry Cejudo, Aljamain Sterling earned his 14th win as a UFC bantamweight. This accounts for the most divisional history, passing former foe T.J. Dillashaw.

Funking the Record Books: The title fight at 135 pounds for “Funk Master” is the 17th appearance he has made in that weight class. Just three fighters – Marlon Vera and Raphael Assuncao with 18 each, and Pedro Munhoz’ 19 – have fought more times in that category.

Deciding Factor: Exactly half of Sterling’s wins as a 135-pounder have come on the scorecards. This ties him with Takeya Mizugaki and teammate Merab Dvalishvili for the second-most among UFC bantamweights. Assuncao’s nine serve as the most.

By Hook or Split Crook: The win coming in a title fight, Sterling has now had his hand raised four times in UFC bantamweight championship bouts. He is one shy of Dillashaw’s record five.

An Under-the-Radar Record: While Dillashaw holds the most wins in 135-pound title tilts in the Octagon, Sterling set the new record for consecutive defenses. Including his unification rematch with Petr Yan, Sterling’s three defenses in a row are the most for any UFC bantamweight champ ever.

Does He Sell: Despite how many championship outings the bantamweight king has entered into, or how many fights overall Sterling had taken in the UFC, this event marked the first time Sterling had competed as the main attraction.

Sterling Grappling Performance: After 25 minutes of combat, Sterling officially put Cejudo on his back four times. Before this outing, no UFC fighter had ever taken the 2008 Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling down more than once in a fight – and that was Demetrious Johnson in their 2018 rematch.

Good Job, Now Wait: In their official welterweight title eliminator, Belal Muhammad outworked Burns to earn the elusive crack at gold. “Remember the Name” now finds himself on a 10-fight unbeaten streak, which is two shy of champ Leon Edwards’ stretch.

Remember the Judges: As he has done for much of his pro career, Muhammad needed the full time allotment to pull off the win. Muhammad’s finish rate sits at 26% overall, and his 11 decision victories at 170 pounds trail just Georges St. Pierre (12) and Neil Magny (13) for the most at their weight category.

Time for a China-on-China Championship Challenge: For the first time as a UFC fighter, Xiaonan Yan performed a stoppage. Smoking Andrade in the opening round, Yan broke her streak that included seven UFC wins by decision for her first finish since 2016.

. Got Plenty More in Her Too: In another losing effort, Andrade entered into her 24th UFC fight. This extends her lead for the most for any woman to step inside the Octagon, and only Angela Hill has more than 20 UFC fights on her own ledger.

Not Afraid of Defeat: Andrade lost for the ninth time on the roster, giving her the third-most defeats out of all women to compete under the UFC banner. Jessica Eye and Randa Markos have 10, while Hill’s 12 clock in as the most.

Live by the Pile Driver: Seven of Andrade’s UFC losses have come by stoppage. She has been finished more times than any women in promotional history, with no other fighter suffering more than five setbacks inside the distance.

He Likes to Movsar Movsar: Movsar Evloev lifted his pro record to 17-0 by taking a spirited decision over newcomer Diego Lopes. All seven of his UFC wins have come at the hands of the judges.

Ingushetia is Not Dagestan: Over the course of their 15-minute affair, Evloev officially grounded Lopes four times. As a UFC featherweight, the Russian has amassed 31 takedowns in six appearances, already good for the sixth-most in the history of the weight class. Darren Elkins’ 56 stands above the pack.

No Air for Jourdain: Charles Jourdain’s finish rate dropped to 86% after beating Kron Gracie by decision. It marked just his second win at the hands of the judges, with his first against Andre Ewell in 2021.

A Post-Gracie Sport: The fight for Gracie was his first since an October 2019 rumble with Cub Swanson. In that span of inactivity for the Brazilian, Jourdain competed nine times, lodging more appearances than the entirety of Gracie’s professional tenure.

Steamrolla Gonna Roll: Flattening Drew Dober in the first round, Matt Frevola notched his fourth victory by knockout – while recording his third stoppage due to strikes in a row. Before this stretch, “The Steamrolla” last put a fighter away by TKO or KO in 2015.

Chin Resculpting Project: Frevola becomes the second competitor to ever stop Dober with strikes, with the first being Ramiro Hernandez in April 1, 2011. At that time, 21 of the other 23 fighters on the card including Frevola had yet to make their pro debuts.

Savage Choke: In the second round, Kennedy Nzechukwu rendered Devin Clark unconscious with a guillotine choke to record his first submission win as a pro. The man called “African Savage” now posts an even finish rate of 75%.

Grappling Beat Striking: Taking a clear-cut decision over Marina Rodriguez, Virna Jandiroba put herself on her first win streak since 2023. The Brazilian grappler’s overall stoppage rate fell just below 75% by needing three full rounds to pull off the victory.

Gassed in Two Minutes: In 130 seconds, Parker Porter blew through newcomer Braxton Smith to pick up his first stoppage triumph inside the Octagon. On the other hand, all seven of Smith’s pro outings have ended by first-round knockout, win or lose.

Punch-Out!! To earn his first UFC win, Claudio Ribeiro dispatched the heavy Joseph Holmes in Round 2. The Brazilian power puncher has earned all 11 of his victories by knockout.

Never Say Never Again: Coming into UFC 288, Gracie (six fights) and Rodriguez (20 fights) had never dropped consecutive bouts, Smith had never competed beyond 2:08 of a match (six fights) and Holmes had never been knocked out (11 fights).

Rapping Yourself Out to the Cage: For his complicated walkout, Sterling selected four tracks in a mashup. His third came in the form of his own rap track, “Go Dumb,” which featured Troy Grindz. Sterling won after using this multi-song entrance tune.

Heard It: Kicking off his four-piece walkout selection, Sterling did also pick “Empire State of Mine” by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. This was the second time that night that the audience heard this, as Jandiroba previously picked this music on its own. Both fighters ended up winning decisions.

It’s Like a Jungle Sometimes: A first for the UFC, a fighter walked out to “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five. Porter selected this song before wiping Smith out.