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          UFC 288: Aljamain Sterling impresses in win over Henry Cejudo

          Aljamain Sterling defends his UFC bantamweight championship against former champion Henry Cejudo at UFC 288. Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
          • Marc Raimondi
          • Brett Okamoto
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            Brett Okamoto
            ESPN Staff Writer
            • MMA columnist for ESPN.com
            • Analyst for "MMA Live"
            • Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun
          May 7, 2023, 12:21 AM ET

          NEWARK, N.J. -- After a three-year retirement, Henry Cejudo looked to reclaim a title he'd never lost in the Octagon. At UFC 288, Aljamain Sterling made sure he wouldn't get his hands on the gold.

          Sterling retained his bantamweight title on Saturday by split decision over Cejudo, as two judges scored the fight 48-47 for the champion. The third judge scored the fight 48-47 for Cejudo.

          Sterling (23-3) has now won nine straight fights. The native of Long Island, New York, has three successful title defenses at bantamweight under his belt, after winning the title via disqualification from Petr Yan at UFC 259 in March 2021. Sterling, 33, now has the most wins in UFC bantamweight history with 14 and the longest active winning streak with nine.

          Full recap from Marc Raimondi

          Want more from UFC 288? Brett Okamoto and Marc Raimondi recapped all the action: