UFC Champ Aljamain Sterling Opines On Whether Or Not Henry Cejudo Should Retire

Aljamain Sterling weighs in on Henry Cejudo's fighting future.

(via Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling has some thoughts on Henry Cejudo's future as a prizefighter.

Sterling and Cejudo are coming off a highly competitive title fight. The two collided inside the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on May 6. The "Funk Master" walked into the arena as the top dog in the UFC's 135-pound division, and that didn't change when the dust settled. After five rounds of action, Sterling successfully retained the bantamweight gold via split decision.

Pure class from Sterling and Cejudo after their battle at #UFC288 👏 pic.twitter.com/VgqEnWAo4M

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 7, 2023

READ MORE: Henry Cejudo's Coach Helped Prevent "Triple C" From Retiring Again

After the fight, Cejudo took off his gloves before being interviewed by UFC color commentator Joe Rogan. Many took this as a sign that "Triple C" was ready to retire again. Cejudo wouldn't commit to retirement and said he had to mull things over. It didn't take Cejudo long to decide he's sticking around, calling out Sterling's teammate Merab Dvalishvili.

Adam Glyn caught up with Sterling, who gave his take on whether or not Cejudo should walk away from pro MMA competition.

"Nah, I like the cringe," Sterling admitted. "I think he's good for the division, good for the sport. I think we need him around. He makes the weight class more competitive. Big name, makes it interesting. You got a lot of guys with no personality, no character. So, it'll be fun to have him around, but if he wants to stick around, he wants to fight my boy, 'The Machine' [Merab Dvalishvili] will smash him up too."

While Cejudo wants to fight Dvalishvili next, he may have some waiting to do. Dvalishvili revealed to Ariel Helwani on "The MMA Hour" that he has an injured hand that will require surgery. Dvalishvili has said he'd take a fight with Cejudo even pre-surgery, but his team may advise him to go under the knife first for a fight of that magnitude.

READ MORE: Injury Update On UFC Bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili

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