Aljamain Sterling has denied Henry Cejudo and his manager Ali Abdelaziz's assertion that a bantamweight title fight between the pair next year is a "done deal".
The legendary former two-weight world champion is returning to the octagon next year, and went head-to-head with current bantamweight champion Sterling at the PFL finals in New York last weekend. But the pair have conflicting views about just how far along that fight is behind-the-scenes, each giving Mirror Fighting a different account.
Cejudo insisted, after his manager Ali Abdelaziz had told MMA Underground earlier that week, that the deal is done for a fight between the pair. But when asked if that claim was true, Sterling responded: "No, the deal is not done because I haven't signed s***. So he can say whatever he wants, until then it's all talk. In this game, money talks, baby and bulls*** walks, holla at your boy, we here for the money, cash money, talk to me, baby!"
Sterling had spent the evening at cageside, where he watched Kayla Harrison's shocking upset loss to Larissa Pacheco in the sixth $1million PFL final of the night, and at times goaded his rival. He got fans to chant abuse at him, and the pair almost got into it during a head-to-head mediated by Abdelaziz.
Speaking with Mirror Fighting earlier in the evening, Cejudo guaranteed that he "Will 100 per cent," be fighting next year, before proclaiming that the bout is a "done deal" for his comeback. "Eventually [I'll move up to 145lb], but I'd like to defend the belt and then we can talk from there. Not only am I going to try but I'm going to do it. That's it, man, I'm back in the game and someone's about to bend the knee!"
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It came days after an interview Abdelaziz gave to MMA Underground, where he said: "I can’t wait for my boy, ‘Triple C’ [Cejudo's infamous nickname] to come back. I like Aljo, I consider Aljo as a friend. Aljo is fighting Henry Cejudo – it’s done, it’s just – the UFC said it’s done, he knows it’s done.”
Cejudo never lost his world title, defending both his flyweight and bantamweight titles before retiring in May 2020 over a pay dispute. He spent two years out, but continued training casually and is completing his six months in the USADA testing pool, which qualifies him to fight under the UFC banner again.
