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UFC 288 is in the books, and while the event perhaps wasn’t as fun as some people hoped, it still delivered some strong fights.
While no titles changed hands at UFC 288, there were still plenty of notable moments, and of course, some big winners.
Whether these winners go on to bigger and better things in the future remains to be seen.
Here are the five biggest winners from UFC 288: Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo.
#5. Sean O’Malley – UFC bantamweight contender
It seems bizarre to name a fighter who wasn’t actually in action as one of the biggest winners at a UFC event, but that was definitely the case last night.
Coming into Aljamain Sterling’s bantamweight title bout with Henry Cejudo, Sean O’Malley felt like the odd man out in the division.
‘Sugar’ defeated former titleholder Petr Yan last October in the best performance of his career but was then overlooked for a title shot in favor of Cejudo.
It was a decision that made sense, but O’Malley must’ve been sweating somewhat last night. After all, the Sterling vs. Cejudo bout could’ve demanded an instant rematch, for instance, or the winner could’ve decided to pursue a superfight with featherweight kingpin Alexander Volkanovski.
Instead, once he’d been confirmed as the winner, Sterling called O’Malley into the octagon for a confrontation, and the crowd were clearly into it, treating both men as major stars.
This confrontation means that there’s absolutely no way that ‘Sugar’ doesn’t fight for the bantamweight crown in his next trip to the octagon.
Win or lose, the bout will give him the biggest spotlight – and payout – of his career. That makes him one of UFC 288’s biggest winners however you look at it.
#4. Matt Frevola – defeated Drew Dober in a UFC lightweight bout
Coming into UFC 288, very few fans would’ve considered Matt Frevola a possible lightweight title contender. ‘The Steamrolla’ had won his last two bouts, but nothing he’d done in the octagon had truly stood out.
That changed last night when Frevola utterly dominated Drew Dober, who looked like a bad stylistic match for him.
‘The Steamrolla’ showed better striking than he’d ever displayed before, and constantly beat the tough Dober to the punch before dropping him with a heavy right hand late in the first round.
Dober did his best to survive the barrage that followed, but it came as no surprise when referee Herb Dean decided to step in and call the bout off, despite Dober’s protestations.
Where does Frevola go from here? It’s likely that he’ll steal Dober’s ranking – No.14 – and move into the lightweight division’s top 15. This performance and the possibility of his best being ahead of him makes Matt Frevola one of last night’s big winners.
#3. Yan Xiaonan – defeated Jessica Andrade in a UFC strawweight bout
While it was clear to everyone that the welterweight bout between Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns was probably a No.1 contender’s fight, the same was generally not said about the strawweight clash between Yan Xiaonan and Jessica Andrade.
However, given the lack of a true top contender in the 115-pound division, a good performance from either woman was always likely to elevate them to the top of the ladder.
In the end, Xiaonan produced more than just a good performance. She produced an absolutely incredible showing to dispatch ‘Bate Estaca’ in the first round, sitting her down with a perfectly timed right hand on the counter.
Prior to last night, Xiaonan had never finished an opponent in the octagon – something that was probably the only knock on her. That’s now changed in style.
Whether Xiaonan climbs to the top of the rankings after this win is debatable. After all, Andrade was only at No.4 coming in.
Despite this, it’s still likely she’ll get a title shot. With her countrywoman Weili Zhang currently holding the strawweight title, the chances that the UFC will not book an all-China title bout is almost nil.
Add in her $50k bonus and it’s safe to label Xiaonan one of last night’s big winners.
#2. Belal Muhammad – defeated Gilbert Burns in a UFC welterweight bout
While he probably didn’t do enough to steal Colby Covington’s welterweight title shot as he’d hoped for coming in, Belal Muhammad was definitely one of UFC 288’s biggest winners.
‘Remember the Name’ didn’t have much time to prepare for his five-round fight with Gilbert Burns, but watching it, you’d never have realized.
He picked ‘Durinho’ apart throughout the contest, clearly getting the better of him standing and never allowing him to really get close to a takedown.
Did he get close to finishing the Brazilian? Not really, and that’s why Covington will probably remain at the front of the queue for a shot at Leon Edwards.
However, given that this win means he’s on a 10-fight unbeaten run, it’d seem ludicrous for Muhammad to not take the next shot at the winner of that bout, which should hopefully go down sooner rather than later.
Put simply, based on the fact that he dug the promotion out of a hole by taking this fight, it’d be massively unfair for ‘Remember the Name’ to be overlooked again.
#1. Aljamain Sterling – defeated Henry Cejudo to retain the UFC bantamweight title
While his win didn’t come without some controversy – he won via split decision – it’d be hard to suggest that anyone but Aljamain Sterling should be considered as the biggest winner at UFC 288.
‘Funk Master’ was able to edge out former champion Henry Cejudo in a bout that appeared to be a tricky stylistic match, giving him a divisional record third straight title defense.
It wasn’t a perfect fight from Sterling by any means, as he curiously chose to enter into grappling sequences with ‘Triple C’ despite clearly being the sharper fighter standing. He also seemed to cruise the fifth round – a decision he’d have regretted had the judges seen things differently.
For the most part, though, he landed the better shots on the feet, and when the fight did hit the ground, he seemed largely in control there, too. He even took Cejudo’s back on more than one occasion, although he couldn’t find a fight-ending choke.
With this win, then, could ‘Funk Master’ be considered the UFC’s greatest-ever 135-pounder? It sounds crazy, but he’s probably got a fair claim to that title.
When you add in the fact that his next title defense should be a big one thanks to his post-fight callout of Sean O’Malley, it’s clear that Sterling was definitely the fighter who saw his stock rise the most last night.
