Aljamain Sterling reveals the one thing that could benefit Henry Cejudo in fight with Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 298

By Susan Cox - December 21, 2023

Aljamain Sterling has revealed the one thing that could benefit Henry Cejudo in a fight with Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 298.

Aljamain Sterling, Henry Cejudo, UFC 298, UFC

UFC 298 will take place on Saturday, February 17th at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

The promotion recently announced that the co-main event would feature Henry Cejudo (16-3 MMA) in a bantamweight battle with Merab Dvalishvili (16-4 MMA).

Cejudo, 36, last fought this past May at UFC 288 where he was defeated by Aljamain Sterling (23-4 MMA).

Dvalishvili, 32, is sporting 9 wins in a row coming into UFC 298, his latest victory was against Petr Yan (16-5 MMA) this past March.

Sterling and Dvalishvili are teammates and ‘Funk Master’ is confident that Dvalishvili will defeat Cejudo at UFC 298 and go on to win the belt.

During a recent episode of his YouTube podcast ‘The Weekly Scraps’, Aljamain Sterling weighed in on the matchup between ‘Triple C’ and ‘The Machine‘ and the one thing that could benefit Cejudo:

“Looking at the Merab and Henry fight, I think stylistically Merab has got the cardio advantage. I think with me and Henry, you could see that Henry’s output was not very high because I think he’s nervous about getting tired… If it’s three (rounds), that could be the only benefit that Henry Cejudo will have on his side, because he can play the clock.”

Continuing, Sterling said (h/t MMANews):

“(Dvalishvili) comes out aggressive… (But) I could see him (Cejudo) possibly landing in the clinch, landing an inside leg trip, and then trying to stay on the ground. But Merab is very tough to hold down, and I think once he realizes that Merab is not easy to hold down, like the same with me, he’s gonna be like, ‘I’ve gotta make a decision now. Am I fighting on the feet or am I gonna continue to try to wrestle and take this man down?’ That’s gonna be the difference… He (Cejudo) does better in a three-rounder than he would fare over five rounds with Merab.”

Do you agree with Aljamain Sterling’s analogy concerning Cejudo? Who do you think we be the victor at UFC 298 – Cejudo or Dvalishvili?

Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!


Topics:

Aljamain Sterling Henry Cejudo UFC UFC 298