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Event: UFC 288: “Sterling vs. Cejudo”Date: Sat., May 6, 2023Location: Prudential Center in Newark, NJBroadcast: ESPN+ PPV, ESPN, ESPN+Start Time: 6 p.m. ET Prelims | 10 p.m. ET Main Card

UFC 288 PPV Main Event On ESPN+:

135 lbs.: UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo

UFC 288 PPV Main Card On ESPN+ (10 p.m. ET):

155 lbs.: Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush115 lbs.: Jessica Andrade vs. Xiaonan Yan145 lbs.: Bryce Mitchell vs. Jonathan Pearce145 lbs.: Kron Gracie vs. Charles Jourdain

UFC 288 Prelims Card On ESPN/ESPN+ (8 p.m. ET):

135 lbs.: Johnny Munoz vs. Daniel Santos115 lbs.: Virna Jandiroba vs. Marina Rodriguez185 lbs.: Armen Petrosyan vs. TBA205 lbs.: Devin Clark vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu

UFC 288 Early Prelims Card On ESPN+ (6 p.m. ET):

125 lbs.: Rafael Estevam vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov170 lbs.: Rolando Bedoya vs. Khaos Williams155 lbs.: Drew Dober vs. Matt Frevola185 lbs.: Joseph Holmes vs. Claudio Ribeiro185 lbs.: Ikram Aliskerov vs. Phil Hawes
*Fight card, bout order and number of fights remain subject to change.*

For more upcoming UFC events click here.

Where the heck is Jon Jones?
The newly-crowned heavyweight champion appears to have “disappeared” after capturing the 265-pound title against top contender Ciryl Gane at the UFC 285 pay-per-view (PPV) event last month in Las Vegas. Considering every time “Bones” is front and center he ends up in handcuffs, maybe disappearing is the best case scenario.

At least until July rolls around.
“Jon Jones came out, and made quick work (of Gane) and poof, disappeared,” White said at the UFC 287 post-fight media gathering (watch it here). “He went back to whatever he’s doing. He’s ready to fight, he wants Stipe, so we’ll figure it out. That’s the one he wants.”
But is it the one Miocic wants?

That depends on who you ask. Jones claims the former champ has been dragging his feet over a potential headliner at UFC 290 in “Sin City” but Miocic insists he’s ready to go and that “Bones” is just making a bunch of noise on social media.
UFC has yet to make an official announcement.

UFC President Dana White wants reigning welterweight champion Leon Edwards to make his next 170-pound title defense against No. 2-ranked contender Colby Covington, despite the fact that “Chaos” is already 0-2 in UFC title fights.
Edwards, however, doesn’t appear to be on board with those plans.
That means “Rocky” could be in danger of forfeiting his division title, an unfortunate turn of events for everyone except “frustrated” fellow contender Belal Muhammad, who continues to campaign for his own crack at the welterweight crown.

“He’s got nowhere to go,” Covington told Submission Radio. “If Leon doesn’t want to fight, I’ve already been assured that it’s okay. They’ll just strip him, and I’m next in line. So, the fact that he’s trying to cry and act all privileged is just funny. But there’s nowhere to go. Dana has assured me I’m fighting him this summer. I don’t know the location yet. We’ll have to wait to see from Dana and the big bosses at the UFC what they decide. I know he wanted to fight the Street Judas Masvidal so bad. Don’t worry, Leon, after I beat your ass this summer, you can fight Jorge on the Prelims.”
Covington (17-3) first tried to usurp the throne by taking on then-champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 245 back in late 2019, falling by way of fifth-round technical knockout. A subsequent victory over ex-champion Tyron Woodley earned him a second shot at “The Nigerian Nightmare” but once again, “Chaos” failed to get the job done.
Beating Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272 was enough to get Covington back in the mix.

“I’m not surprised [Edwards is] afraid,” Covington continued. “He knows the matchup is the hardest matchup he’s ever gonna have in his life. And he knows I’m coming to take everything he worked for. He worked so hard, sat out two years, fought the easiest fight in the division, Nate Diaz, and the guy’s fucking saying this and that, like he’s a God and ran through the division. He hasn’t done anything in the sport. And the fact that he’s acting so privileged, like he just earned and deserved all this stuff, is just hilarious. But the fans see that. The fans see the coward that he is, and I’m gonna turn this redcoat into the yellowbelly like the little bitch that he is.”
UFC has yet to make an official announcement.

By “Immortal” decree, all fans should make room in the Top 5 of their greatest of all time (GOAT) lists for reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
“The Last Stylebender” reclaimed his 185-pound crown by stopping longtime kickboxing rival Alex Pereira in the UFC 287 pay-per-view (PPV) main event last weekend in Miami, a victory good enough to place him atop the promotion’s Mount Olympus.
That’s according to UFC welterweight smasher Matt Brown.

“I felt like this fight he just threw that out the window and said ‘I’m not wrestling you, we’re doing a kickboxing match and I’m f****** you up,’” Brown told MMA Fighting. “I commend him for that. That took balls for him to do that. That took courage. That took bravery. That took all the things that qualify a champion like Adesanya and I think you’ve got to start putting him in the top five GOAT list now. It’s not like I’m basing this off one fight. Look at the guys he’s beat before. He’s got a f****** resume. He’s just spectacular. It’s f****** amazing what he’s doing. I’ll just leave it at that.”
The 33 year-old Adesanya (24-2) is 4-1 across his last five middleweight title fights but his knockout of “Poatan” stands as the only finish during that span. Prior to that run, “The Last Stylebender” was outmuscled en route to a decision loss against then-light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz.

“If we want to compare with other GOATs that we always talk about, GSP had a very unexciting career as a champion,” Brown continued. “We simply put him up there for his wins, his amount of wins and not losing rounds. This fight just hit me a different way. Maybe I’m a little bit biased right now because it just happened this weekend and still a little bit high from it. It definitely gave me a buzz watching that and Adesanya just the way he did it, I think that’s an extremely special person to be able to do that.”
St-Pierre (26-2), a former two-division champion, retired from UFC in late 2017.

Israel Adesanya put an exclamation point on his first victory against longtime nemesis Alex Pereira as he regained the UFC middleweight title with an absolutely vicious knockout to cap off UFC 287 in Miami.
Following the event, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck, Shaheen Al-Shatti, and Jed Meshew react to Adesanya’s incredible finish, his post-fight speech, if going right back to another matchup is the way to go, Dana White suggesting Pereira may move to 205, and more. Additionally, they discuss Gilbert Burns’ win over Jorge Masvidal in the co-main event, Masvidal announcing his retirement, and what could be next for Burns, Rob Font’s sensational finish of Adrian Yanez, 18-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. suffering his first career loss to Christian Rodriguez, and more.
Watch the UFC 287 post-fight show above, or an audio-only version of the show can also be streamed below and on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and wherever else you get your pods.

MMA Fighting will have UFC 287 results for the Pereira vs. Adesanya 2 event, live blogs for all the main card fights, and more from the Miami-Dade Arena in Miami, Fla., on Saturday night.
In the main event, UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira will square off against former UFC champion Israel Adesanya in a rematch. Pereira defeated Adesanya via fifth-round TKO at UFC 281 this past November.
Gilbert Burns will square off against Jorge Masvidal in a welterweight contest in the co-main event. Burns has won three of his past five fights, while Masvidal has lost three straight fights.
Check out UFC 287 results below.

Main Card
Israel Adesanya def. Alex Pereira via second-round KO (4:21) (live blog) | Highlights | Reax
Gilbert Burns def. Jorge Masvidal via unanimous decision (live blog) | Highlights | Reax
Rob Font def. Adrian Yanez via first-round TKO (2:57) (live blog)
Kevin Holland def. Santiago Ponzinibbio via third-round KO (3:16) (live blog)
Christian Rodriguez def. Raul Rosas Jr. via UD (29-28 x3) (live blog) | Reax
Preliminary Card
Kelvin Gastelum def. Chris Curtis via unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27)
Luana Pinheiro def. Michelle Waterson-Gomez via split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29)
Joe Pyfer def. Gerald Meerschaert via first-round TKO (3:15) | Watch finish
Lupita Godinez def. Cynthia Calvillo via split decision (29-28, 30-27, 28-29)
Ignacio Bahamondes def. Trey Ogden via unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
Steve Garcia def. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke via second-round KO (0:36) | Watch finish
Sam Hughes def. Jaqueline Amorim via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Note: Karl Williams vs. Chase Sherman – fight canceled

MMA Fighting has a live stream watch party for Saturday’s UFC 287 event, which takes place at Miami-Dade Arena in Miami, Fla. The main event will feature a rematch for the middleweight title as Alex Pereira defends his championship for the first time against the man he dethroned at UFC 281 this past November, Israel Adesnaya.
Join MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Conner Burks, and other special guests such as Jed Meshew and Eric “New York Ric” Jackman, to watch along with UFC 287 as the main card happens.
In the co-main event, Gilbert Burns looks to spoil the homecoming party for Miami’s own Jorge Masvidal in a pivotal welterweight showdown.
UFC 287 also features a bantamweight matchup between Rob Font and surging contender Adrian Yanez, along with a 170-pound matchup between Kevin Holland and Santiago Ponzinibbio.
Kicking off the main card will be the second octagon appearance of 18-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. as he takes on Christian Rodriguez.
Watch MMA Fighting’s UFC 286 Watch Party at 9:45 p.m. ET / 6:45 p.m. PT above.

Israel Adesanya is back atop the middleweight mountain and back on the bonus list.
“The Last Stylebender” earned a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus with his stunning knockout of Alex Pereira in Saturday’s UFC 287 main event, a victory that not only won him back the UFC title but avenged his first loss inside the octagon. This was also Adesanya’s first win over Pereira after losing to him in their first MMA fight and two previous kickboxing encounters.
After a competitive first round, Adesanya caught an advancing Pereira with two hard right hands that put “Poatan” down on the mat for good. Adesanya scored a knockout win for the first time since defeating Paulo Costa at UFC 253 in September 2020, which is also the last time he received a post-fight bonus.
The other Performance of the Night award went to Rob Font, who scored a first-round TKO of Adrian Yanez to hand the fast-rising Yanez his first UFC loss.

Related

Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira 2 full fight video highlights

UFC 287 in Tweets: Fighters react to Israel Adesanya’s revenge knockout of Alex Pereira

Kelvin Gastelum and Chris Curtis won the UFC 287 Fight of the Night award for their thrilling three-round striking battle, which closed out the preliminary portion of the card. Returning from a hiatus of almost 600 days, Gastelum outworked Curtis to earn a unanimous decision and the fourth Fight of the Night bonus of his UFC career.

Gilbert Burns earned another impressive win at UFC 287 in a fight that will ultimately serve as the final appearance for Jorge Masvidal.
After losing a unanimous decision in the co-main event, Masvidal announced his retirement from the sport while telling Burns “go get that belt” as they embraced following a three-round battle.
“I love everybody here,” Masvidal shouted to the Miami faithful. “This is where I started my career, it’s been a long 20 years, 50 some fights. Sometimes your favorite basketball player don’t have that 3-pointer no more. Your favorite quarterback loses that rifle. I don’t feel the same when I get in here no more. It’s been 20 long years.
“I love this f****** sport. I’m a multi-millionaire. I didn’t start with nothing. I can say I’m good for life now.”
While Masvidal was saying goodbye, Burns was celebrating a victory with the judges scoring the fight 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 in his favor. Afterwards, Burns paid homage to his opponent and then quickly turned his attention to the welterweight title.
“It feels good but shout out to this guy, he’s still a king from this city,” Burns said. “We’re just here because of this guy. Give it up to your boy, ‘Gamebred’ Masvidal.
“I’m the only guy maybe in the whole UFC that’s willing to fight anyone at any time. With that being said, Leon Edwards, Colby Covington, whoever is holding that belt, I’m coming for you!”
There was a lot of respect being shown early with Burns and Masvidal both waiting for the other to make a mistake to really unleash. Masvidal did start to establish a well-timed leg kick that was chopping away at Burns’ foundation.
As time ticked away in the opening round, Burns started to find a home for his overhand right that cracked Masvidal several times. Burns also managed a late takedown and several nasty hammer fists on the ground just before the horn sounded.
Burns continued throwing that right hand — this time with a stinging uppercut — that dropped Masvidal to the canvas for a split second. As soon as Masvidal got back to the feet, Burns rushed forward before picking him up and slamming him back down to the ground again.
Masvidal was content maintaining his guard while Burns was trying to find room to throw punches as the Miami crowd started to grow restless. When Masvidal finally scrambled to try and break free, Burns was quick to toss him back down again.
With five minutes remaining, Burns started to establish a slick lead with his left and then he followed it with that same powerful right that continuously hurt Masvidal all fight long. Several right hands in succession had Masvidal backed against the cage as Burns continued to tee off on him.
Burns then turned back to his grappling as he took Masvidal down again while throwing short, punishing elbows and punches. As time expired, Burns was all smiles and Masvidal immediately started pulling off his gloves to signify this would be his final fight.
With Leon Edwards expected to battle Colby Covington next, Burns made a compelling case as the next No. 1 contender, although Belal Muhammad might have something to say about that. Perhaps they’ll meet in the future but for now Burns can enjoy his second straight win while serving as the final opponent in Masvidal’s career.

Gilbert Burns handed Jorge Masvidal his fourth straight UFC loss in front of his hometown crowd at UFC 287.
Burns took home a unanimous decision via scores of 30-27 twice and 29-28 on Saturday night, outstriking Masvidal on the feet and completing takedowns to rack up control time.
At one point, Masvidal looked a punch or two away from being finished in the third round. He survived, but Burns managed to get another takedown and control the action.
Here’s what fighters had to say about Burns vs. Masvidal on Saturday at UFC 287.

Easy 30-27 for Gilbert Burns, looks like Jorge didn’t train very hard for this one.— Funky (@Benaskren) April 9, 2023

Who had Jorge leading a “let’s go Brandon” chant tonight . What the— Funky (@Benaskren) April 9, 2023

Nothing fancy from Burns. Just persistence, pressure & consistency. Masvidal just couldn’t figure it out. Reaction time isn’t what it used to be but great to see him succeed in this sport after grinding for so long. Burns moves up the ladder again & gets closer to a title shot.— Kenny Florian (@kennyflorian) April 9, 2023

Mannnn! Another one gone from the fight game!! another one of my all time favorite fighters! Father Time catches up to all of us. Shout out to Jorge Masvidal! A real OG of the fight game! You will be missed!! #UFC287— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) April 9, 2023

Great career by Masvidal, was great having him on our Podcast. And like him or not, but says what he believes. #UFC287— Teddy Atlas (@TeddyAtlasReal) April 9, 2023

If that was the last time we saw @GamebredFighter …what a dream he created with his two bare hands. What a pleasure to watch all these years. #ufc287— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) April 9, 2023