"I didn't think you were serious" - Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo have a sincere conversation at fighter hotel ahead of their UFC 288 clash

Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo recently crossed paths at the fighter hotel ahead of their UFC 288 clash.

'Triple C' was last seen in action nearly three years ago back in May 2020 against Dominick Cruz. Since then, there has been a lot of anticipation surrounding his return.

However, with his return set against Aljamain Sterling for the UFC bantamweight championship, many have been wondering if Henry Cejudo has taken it seriously. Sterling himself is on that list.

When Sterling and Cejudo met at the fighter hotel, they proceeded to have a serious conversation. Upon hearing 'Triple C' claim that he's ready, the UFC bantamweight champion said:

"I do appreciate it, seriously. Not the whole... So, I didn't think you were serious but I'm glad."

Speaking about his fight camp, Cejudo replied by saying:

"This has been a good camp for me. It's been a good camp, we have a solid team and my job is to get it done, you know and I know how much you want, you know, defend in your backyard but I'm ready dude."

Sterling further stated that he's excited to put on a show for the fans, and he said:

"I hope so man. It's gonna be a good show for the fans, that's all I care about."

Watch the video of their exchange below:

---

Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo: 'Funk Master' calls out Cejudo for Khabib-like arrogance

During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Aljamain Sterling claimed that Henry Cejudo had become too critical of active fighters during his hiatus from the sport. 'Funk Master' even drew comparisons between 'Triple C' and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Sterling further claimed that Cejudo deserved to be smacked in the face for making too much noise from the sidelines. He said:

"I’m not trying to fake anything [but] the guy talks a lot. Sat on the sidelines and talked so much s*** and criticized everybody. No disrespect but it’s almost like what Khabib [Nurmagomedov] did.

"When Khabib retired, he started to become a lot more vocal and it wasn’t vocal in a very humble or respectful way. I feel like and I don’t know if he did that intentionally or he didn’t realize the way it was coming off.

"Henry’s doing that but I think it’s very intentional and deliberate and someone needs to smack him in the face."