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Following his huge fight announcement on December 1, Aljamain Sterling has now given a prediction on how he expects the fight with Henry Cejudo to play out and why he believes he'll finish him when the two collide inside the octagon.
'Triple C' is making his return to the cage since retiring after an impressive display against Dominick Cruz in 2020. The former flyweight king was on a tear, beating some of the greatest to ever step foot into the octagon before leaving the sport. Cejudo will aim to regain that form when he faces the 135lb champ on his return.
While discussing the matchup on his YouTube channel, Aljamain Sterling insisted that Henry Cejudo's naivety could play a role in their clash and is expecting the bout to go no further than the second round.
"Honestly, I know I said I'd finish him in one [round], which I realistically can see that happening... I think he [Cejudo] might be naive enough to rush certain positions... I can see him still making a mistake and leaving an opportunity for me to strangle him. I don't think Henry's a guy [that] I would punch out, I think he's a guy [that] I would need to submit... If I'm giving a prediction, I'm gonna say second-round. I think second round, and I'm gonna challenge myself, I think second-round TKO. I think he's gonna run into something."
Despite only having 3 knockout wins in his 25-fight professional martial arts career, 'Aljo' believes he will be able to capitalize on Cejudo's wild entries and get him out of there in under 10 minutes.
Sterling has not been the only one dismissing his opponent's ability, as 'The Messenger' has too discredited the bantamweight champion on multiple occasions.
Check out Aljamain Sterling's prediction for his potential matchup with Henry Cejudo in the video below:
Aljamain Sterling's run as bantamweight champion
Although he still receives hate from a large portion of the MMA world, Aljamain Sterling has had a tough run in his short time as bantamweight champion and continues to prove the doubters wrong.
While the 33-year-old did win the title under strange circumstances after taking an illegal shot that forced an end to the bout, he has since shown he deserves to hold the throne.
A decision win over Petr Yan and a dominant performance against a compromised T.J. Dillashaw has shown the world just how good Sterling can be when the cage door closes.
