UFC 288 is less than a week away and Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling has some choice words for his challenger Henry Cejudo ahead of their main event fight. Sterling is set to defend his championship belt for the third time against former double-champ and Olympic Gold Medalist Henry Cejudo. Cejudo retired from the UFC in 2020 after defending his belt against Dominick Cruz, but will now make his return with a chance to make history and add another title to his G.O.A.T. resume.

Aljamain Sterling opened up about the fight in a recent interview with MMAFighting, stating that he feels supremely confident in his wrestling against the former gold medalist. “I predict that I take Henry down three or four times in this fight, I really do.” This is a really bold statement considering Cejudo's takedown defense in the UFC is 93% percent and, once again, a gold medalist in the Olympics. Still, Sterling hardly blinked at the idea of losing this fight and plans to “take that gold medal and shove it up his a**.”

Sterling continues, “there's no animosity…so I don't want that to come off that way…I'm not trying to fake anything, the guy talks a lot.” Henry Cejudo has been vocal ever since his retirement, often defending his MMA G.O.A.T. status and touting his championship belts long after his last fight. Sterling took offense to the fact and called Cejudo out for talking from the sidelines. Namely, Sterling called out Cejudo for his fight breakdowns on YouTube and criticism of fighters he will never have to face.

“It's very intentional, it's very deliberate, and someone needs to smack him in the face. Fortunately, I get to be the guy to smack him in the face.”

Sterling has been criticized in the past when he won the belt due to an illegal knee from Petr Yan. Since, Sterling has been able to silence the doubters by defending his strap twice and taking this upcoming fight without hesitation. He's extremely confident in his training and believes that his activity will be the difference against the long layoff Cejudo will be coming from. “I think it's gonna come down to activity. I've been more active.”

All the talk will stop on May 6 at UFC 288 from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Who you got in this one. Check out or UFC news for more fight news and content.