Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo Come Face-to-Face in Hotel, Cory Sandhagen Roasts Them

Timothy James

May 1, 2023

Henry Cejudo and Aljamain Sterling had an awkward interaction in the hotel ahead of UFC 288, leading Cory Sandhagen to respond.

“Triple C” and “Funkmaster” had a moment in the hotel lobby – and Cory Sandhagen was creeped out.

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Sterling and Cejudo were very respectful to each other, shaking hands and promising to put on a good show for the fans. It wasn’t the heated back-and-forth fight fans might have expected considering “Triple C” and “Funkmaster” have been going at it on Twitter. In fact, things got a little awkward, with an extended handshake and forced small-talk between the UFC’s top bantamweight.

Cory Sandhagen Roasts Henry Cejudo and Aljamain Sterling for awkward hotel interaction

Third-ranked bantamweight Cory Sandhagen wasn’t sure what to make of the scene between Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo, posting a reaction to his Instagram.

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It appears Sandhagen – who is coming off a big win over Marlon “Chito” Vera – was creeped out by the interaction. In the video, he asks “what the f**k is going on here?” while the caption reads, “Anyone else creeped out?”

Sandhagen has every reason in the world to be fully invested in the outcome of Sterling vs. Cejudo. He’s on the cusp of another title shot, with only Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili ahead of him in the rankings.

Aljamain Sterling Predicts 2nd Round Finish of Henry Cejduo

Sandhagen might not know what to make of the interaction between Cejudo and Sterling, but the champion is confident he gets the job done against “Triple C.” Aljo told Inside Fighting’s Andrew Capucetti that Cejudo won’t make it past the third.

“I think I can stop him in the second round,” Sterling responded. “That’s the plan right now.”

Sterling comes into every fight with the same gameplan – get his opponent down, backpack them, and choke them out. It’s served him well during his UFC tenure – and he plans to stick with what’s worked for him against Cejudo.

“If I can get him down, that’d be ideal,” Sterling continued. “I think once I get a takedown secured, I think I just [ground and] pound him, and either he gives up his neck for the submission or I pound him out.”

Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo goes down on Saturday, May 6th from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.