- Henry Cejudo has opened as the betting underdog against Aljamain Sterling.
- Cejudo’s manager made a claim last Monday that Cejudo vs Sterling is a “done deal”.
- Triple C completed last month the six-month drug testing period required to return from a two-year retirement.
The betting odds for the potential Henry Cejudo vs Aljamain Sterling UFC bantamweight title fight have moved to Cejudo’s favor since opening a couple of days ago.
At the BetOnline App, Sterling opened as the -150 favorite to beat Cejudo who hit the betting boards at +130 odds. Less than 48 hours after the betting lines opened, Aljo’s odds are down to -130 at the same sportsbook with Cejudo climbing to +110 odds.
The betting odds for the bout opened after Cejudo’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, told MMAFighting last Monday that a fight between Triple C and the reigning UFC bantamweight champion is a “done deal”.
Per Abdelaziz:
Henry Cejudo is Back
Henry Cejudo is back.
The former two-division UFC champion is returning from retirement with plans to re-enter the USADA drug testing pool this week, per his manager @AliAbdelaziz00 #UFC https://t.co/1MHhonRoqf
— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) April 11, 2022
After a two-year retirement, Henry Cejudo re-entered the UFC’s drug testing pool last April. Last month, the former two-division UFC champion completed six months under the USADA Pool and is now eligible to compete again in the UFC.
Triple C then made it known that he wants to fight Sterling for the 135-pound belt upon his return. Although Cejudo is unranked, he retired as the UFC bantamweight champion and hence did not lose the belt inside the cage. Yan won the vacant title at UFC 251 before losing it to Sterling.
Cejudo was the reigning UFC flyweight champion when he won the bantamweight belt against Marlon Moraes at UFC 238 and became the 4th fighter in UFC history to hold two titles simultaneously. Triple C successfully defended the bantamweight belt against former champion Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 and retired immediately after beating Cruz.
The former champion is no stranger to having the plus money sign written next to his name. In fact, he’s thrived in the underdog role as Triple C opened and closed as the betting underdog in three out of his last four bouts. Cejudo fought Demetrious Johnson at +375 odds, T.J. Dillashaw at +205 odds, and Marlon Moraes at +145 but won all three fights.
Aljo Hinting He Wants O’Malley Over Cejudo
Aljamain Sterling: Sean O’Malley ‘actually’ earned title shot, ‘just not excited’ about Henry Cejudo fight (@DamonMartin) https://t.co/avrYS6vLvi pic.twitter.com/B1VPPSXpkD
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) November 20, 2022
But while Cejudo has his eyes set on reclaiming the belt he never lost, the current bantamweight champion has hinted that he wants to fight Sean O’Malley next. O’Malley defeated Yan as the +325 underdog at UFC 281. Although the split decision win was rather controversial, Sterling said earlier this month that O’Malley “actually earned a title shot” with the victory.
Aljo controversially won the UFC bantamweight belt when Yan was disqualified for landing an illegal blow that rendered Sterling unable to continue at UFC 259. The pair fought in an immediate rematch 13 months later at UFC 273 and Sterling beat Yan via split decision. With Yan losing a third straight bout against O’Malley, the champ is thinking about fighting Suga next.
It will be interesting to see which direction the UFC goes because if Abdelaziz is to be believed, it’s Cejudo getting the title shot next. However, sources close to Sterling told MMAFighting that the champ has not gotten any offers yet.
Despite winning his last six bouts, Sterling has been the betting favorite only thrice during that span although he’s won all of them. Master Funk was the underdog twice to Petr Yan and he was also a +120 bottom dog when he fought Jimmie Rivera in 2019. Aljo is unbeaten in his last 8 bouts overall and has not been defeated since getting knocked out by Moraes in 2017.
