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UFC 288: Sterling vs. Cejudo
VS
Henry Cejudo
Henry Cejudo
16-2 · USA
May 6, 2023 · Newark, New Jersey, USA
Bantamweight · 5 rounds · Main event
Aljamain Sterling def. Henry Cejudo by S-DEC, R5 5:00
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Sterling20/342/301:37
Cejudo7/181/101:47
R2
Sterling29/550/200:00
Cejudo31/530/200:02
R3
Sterling26/291/601:30
Cejudo15/291/101:43
R4
Sterling36/521/300:38
Cejudo19/330/200:46
R5
Sterling24/400/100:15
Cejudo27/411/200:48
Total
Sterling135/2104/1504:00
Cejudo99/1743/805:06

Scorecards

Sterling vs Cejudo

RdDerek ClearyEric ColónMichael BellCommunity
R110-910-910-910-9
R29-1010-99-109.3-9.7
R39-109-109-109.4-9.6
R410-910-910-99.9-9.1
R510-99-109-109.1-9.9
Total48-4748-4747-4847.7-47.3

Media (23 cards) · avg 48.246.8 · 23 Sterling · 0 Cejudo

Official cards + public consensus via MMA Decisions. Per round: Sterling-Cejudo.

Pre-fight

The model's read going in

The walk-forward model's call at the time of the bout — persisted out-of-sample, with no hindsight about the result.

Prediction
SterlingWin probabilityCejudo
68.6%31.4%
KO / TKO
31%
Submission
14%
Decision
55%
Expected fight time: 18.4 min
Retrospective pick: the walk-forward model's call at the time of the fight — persisted out-of-sample, with no hindsight about the result.
What drives the pick

Each bar is a feature's push on the model from the center axis. Red pushes toward Sterling, blue toward Cejudo. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Sterling69%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO17%24%8%
Submission13%19%17%
Decision39%57%24%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes78 (33105)act 135
Takedowns0.5 (0.02.1)act 4
Cejudo31%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO14%44%19%
Submission1%3%5%
Decision16%53%27%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes58 (2479)act 99
Takedowns1.1 (0.03.6)act 3
Combined totals~136 sig strikes~1.6 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R115%
R210%
R310%
R46%
R54%
Distance55%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 0.7%
Sterling
58.8%-145
Cejudo
+14540.5%
Most takedownstie 31.5%
Sterling
20.8%+229
Cejudo
-22947.7%
Significant strikes — over/under
Sterling
Expected: 77.6
77.5
Over 77.5
39.8%
+151
Under 77.5
60.2%
-151
098195
Cejudo
Expected: 58.4
58.5
Over 58.5
39.7%
+152
Under 58.5
60.3%
-152
074147
Takedowns — over/under
Sterling
Expected: 0.5
0.5
Over 0.5
35.2%
+184
Under 0.5
64.8%
-184
035
Cejudo
Expected: 1.1
1
Over 1
38.4%
+105
Exactly 1
21.3%
push
Under 1
40.3%
-105
035

Odds are model-implied (no real prop market is priced for these). The “most” prices are draw-no-bet — a tie (for takedowns, usually 0–0) is a push, so each side is priced off its chance of winning given a result, while the % shown is the raw chance of landing strictly more. Drag a line in half-point steps: a half line (e.g. 2.5) is a clean over/under, while a whole number adds a third outcome — landing exactly on it, a push — so over, exact and under sum to 100%. On a whole number the over/under odds are draw-no-bet (priced off the decisive mass, since the push refunds), so the two sides stay mirror images rather than implying an arbitrage.

Expected fight time 18.4 min. Predicted-output ranges are percentiles of the model’s simulated fights: sig strikes the middle 50% (25th–75th); takedowns the wider 10th–90th, since they’re 0 in most fights so a narrow band would collapse to 0. Win-by-method = win probability × that fighter’s own method split: the model forecasts how the fight ends, and that forecast is divided between the corners by each fighter’s finishing record — UFC wins in full, earlier-career wins at half weight, as of fight night — reconciled so the fighters’ totals still equal their win probabilities and the methods still total the fight-level forecast above. “Equity” is each of those over that fighter’s win % — how they win given that they win — so a column adds to 100%, and it differs by corner. A fighter with no classifiable wins at any level leans on the fight-level split. “How it ends” is the model’s round-of-finish split. “Mkt” is the de-vigged market prop (consensus across books), shown for context, not as a betting signal; rounds & totals slots fill as that data lands. Percentages are apportioned by largest remainder, so each set adds to its total exactly and an individual figure can sit a point off its own rounding.

Model vs market
Final
ModelMarketGapLine
To win
Sterling68.6%48.1%+20.5-102
Cejudo31.4%51.9%−20.5-120
By method
Sterling by KO/TKO20.9%8.1%+12.8+926
Sterling by submission9.7%16.9%−7.2+393
Sterling by decision37.9%23.6%+14.3+252
Cejudo by KO/TKO9.6%19.3%−9.7+330
Cejudo by submission4.5%5.5%−1.0+1418
Cejudo by decision17.4%26.5%−9.1+214
Total rounds (over)
Over 1.5 rds85.0%77.9%+7.1-501
Over 2.5 rds74.6%67.7%+6.9-266
Over 3.5 rds64.9%61.1%+3.8-189
Over 4.5 rds59.2%56.6%+2.6-153
Goes the distance
Fight goes to decision55.3%52.8%+2.5-128

Market % is the de-vigged (no-vig) consensus across the books that price both fighters; the line is the average across books with the min–max range in parentheses. Gap is the model minus the market in points (+ = the model rates that outcome above the market). Thin or one-sided markets are flagged or left blank rather than shown as a fabricated %. Shown for context, not as a bet — the closing line is the sharpest public price and the model trails it on average. For 5-round bouts the model splits its round-3+ finish mass into rounds 3–5 by the historical within-bucket rate, so the over-3.5 / 4.5 lines carry a model estimate.

Trait web
78.9Striking72.7
Sterling +6.2
43.5Grappling53.5
Cejudo +10.0
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
SterlingCejudo
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1698
Pound-for-pound
1664
1685
Divisional
1576
1518
Striking offense
1503
1534
Striking defense
1517
1523
Grappling offense
1508
1513
Grappling defense
1566
Physical
33 yrs
Age
36 yrs
5'7"
Height
5'4"
71"
Reach
64"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
4.70
Strikes landed / min
3.92
51%
Strike accuracy
46%
2.18
Strikes absorbed / min
2.77
61%
Strike defense
65%
Grappling (UFC career)
1.98
Takedowns / 15 min
2.12
24%
Takedown accuracy
34%
41%
Takedown defense
93%
0.9
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.2
Form & résumé
82%
UFC win rate
83%
+8
Win/loss streak
+6
100%
Last-5 win rate
100%
43%
Finish rate
40%
Recent opp. quality
196
Days since last fight
1092
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Aljamain Sterling
  • WTJ DillashawKO/TKO R2
    Close -1776mo before
  • WPetr YanS-DEC R5
    Close +3231y 1mo before
  • WPetr YanDQ R4
    Close +1082y 2mo before
  • WCory SandhagenSUB R1
    Close -1152y 11mo before
  • WPedro MunhozU-DEC R3
    Close -1603y 11mo before
Henry Cejudo
  • WDominick CruzKO/TKO R2
    Close -2253y before
  • WMarlon MoraesKO/TKO R3
    Close +1453y 11mo before
  • WTJ DillashawKO/TKO R1
    Close +1854y 4mo before
  • WDemetrious JohnsonS-DEC R5
    Close +3754y 9mo before
  • WSergio PettisU-DEC R3
    Close -3205y 5mo before
Sterling — win / loss by method
Record: 22-3-0

Bar length is fight count (largest bar = full width); shading splits finishes by round and decisions by unanimous vs split — tap a bar for the round-by-round count.

KO/TKO
3 wins, 1 loss
W
14% of wins
L
33% of losses
Submission
8 wins, 0 losses
W
36% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
10 wins, 2 losses
W
45% of wins
L
67% of losses
DQ / other
1 win, 0 losses
W
5% of wins
L
0% of losses
UFC
14win3loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
2 (14%)KO/TKO(33%) 1
4 (29%)Submission(0%) 0
7 (50%)Decision(67%) 2
1 (7%)DQ / other(0%) 0
Non-UFC
8win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
1 (13%)KO/TKO() 0
4 (50%)Submission() 0
3 (38%)Decision() 0
Cejudo — win / loss by method
Record: 16-2-0

Bar length is fight count (largest bar = full width); shading splits finishes by round and decisions by unanimous vs split — tap a bar for the round-by-round count.

KO/TKO
8 wins, 1 loss
W
50% of wins
L
50% of losses
Submission
0 wins, 0 losses
W
0% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
8 wins, 1 loss
W
50% of wins
L
50% of losses
UFC
10win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (40%)KO/TKO(50%) 1
0 (0%)Submission(0%) 0
6 (60%)Decision(50%) 1
Non-UFC
6win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (67%)KO/TKO() 0
0 (0%)Submission() 0
2 (33%)Decision() 0

Profiles

Experience
Sterling
Cejudo
17
UFC fights
12
219.8 min · 12.9 avg
Octagon time
148.6 min · 12.4 avg
15y 3m
Career length
13y 5m
UFC schedule strength

Opponents' records on fight night — toggle their full cross-promotional record vs UFC bouts only.

Sterling
Cejudo
300W–57L · 84.0%
Overall
218W–43L · 83.5%
238W–40L · 85.6%
Wins
178W–37L · 82.8%
62W–17L · 78.5%
Losses
40W–6L · 87.0%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Sterling
Cejudo
34W–17L · 66.7%
Overall
14W–19L · 42.4%
34W–17L · 66.7%
Wins
14W–19L · 42.4%
0W–0L
Losses
0W–0L
Distance striking
Sterling
Cejudo
6.74
Landed / min
3.62
43.4%
Accuracy
37.7%
65.3%
Defense
67.9%
0.00
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.50
44.9%
Time at distance
65.8%
Grappling & control
Sterling
Cejudo
1.98
Takedowns / 15 min
2.12
24.4%
Takedown accuracy
33.9%
41.2%
Takedown defense
93.3%
0.89
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.20
63.5%
Control share
93.8%
Strike target map
Sterling
  • Head51%(528)div 62%
  • Body33%(337)div 21%
  • Legs16%(169)div 17%
Cejudo
  • Head58%(336)div 62%
  • Body31%(183)div 21%
  • Legs11%(64)div 17%

Where each fighter lands significant strikes (career). “div” = the weight-class average.

Aljamain Sterling
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

Per-fight: SS & TD shown landed/attempted; Close = consensus closing line.

Henry Cejudo
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

Per-fight: SS & TD shown landed/attempted; Close = consensus closing line.