UFC 288

The event marked the promotion's ninth visit to Newark and first since UFC on ESPN: Covington vs. Lawler in August 2019.^[2]

A UFC Bantamweight Championship bout between current champion Aljamain Sterling and former UFC Flyweight and Bantamweight Champion Henry Cejudo headlined the event.^[3]

Zhalgas Zhumagulov and Nate Maness were expected to meet in a flyweight bout at the event.^[4] However, Maness pulled out in early April due to injury and was replaced by Rafael Estevam, who was originally scheduled to fight two weeks earlier at UFC Fight Night: Pavlovich vs. Blaydes before an injury also took his opponent.^[5] In turn, the bout was scratched the day before the event due to Estevam having weight management issues.^[6]

A featherweight bout between Bryce Mitchell and Jonathan Pearce was scheduled for the event.^[7] However, Pearce was forced to withdraw from the event due to injury.^[8] He was replaced by Movsar Evloev.^[9] Mitchell and Evloev were previously scheduled to headline UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs. Lemos in November 2022, but Evloev withdrew due to injury.^[10] In turn, Mitchell withdrew on the week of the event for an undisclosed shoulder injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer Diego Lopes.^[11]

A lightweight bout between former UFC Lightweight Champion Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush was expected to take place as the co-main event.^[12] However, Oliveira withdrew due to an undisclosed injury.^[13] The fight was later rescheduled and moved to UFC 289.^[14]

Former UFC Welterweight Championship challenger Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad competed in a five-round welterweight bout in the co-main event.^[15]

A bantamweight bout between Daniel Santos and Johnny Muñoz Jr. was expected to take place at the event,^[16] but it was scratched after Santos withdrew due to an undisclosed injury.^[17]

At the weigh-ins, Joseph Holmes weighed in at 189 pounds, three pounds over the middleweight non-title fight limit. His bout proceeded at catchweight and he was fined 20% of his purse which went to his opponent Claudio Ribeiro.^[18]

^[19]

The following fighters received $50,000 bonuses.^[20]

• Fight of the Night: Movsar Evloev vs. Diego Lopes
• Performance of the Night: Yan Xiaonan and Matt Frevola

On June 27, it was announced by United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) that Braxton Smith was suspended for two years after a urine sample he submitted tested positive for exogenous administration of testosterone and its precursors in two out-of-competition tests on April 19 and May 4, and one in-competition test May 6.^[21]

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