5 reasons why Henry Cejudo is a tougher opponent for Aljamain Sterling than T.J. Dillashaw

While the UFC is reportedly targeting a title fight between Aljamain Sterling and T.J. Dillashaw on September 10 for UFC 279, the shadow of Henry Cejudo looms evermore over the bantamweight division. Dillashaw will be a stiff test for Aljamain Sterling due to his strong wrestling and superior striking acumen. However, if Henry Cejudo makes a hotly anticipated return to the bantamweight division, he is likely to pose a tougher challenge to Sterling than even Dillashaw.

Henry Cejudo is the better wrestler of the two, and his approach to striking can prey on the deficiencies of Aljamain Sterling's kick-heavy approach to kickboxing exchanges. This list will explore the stylistic reasons why Henry Cejudo might be a more difficult matchup for Sterling than Dillashaw.

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#5. Sterling won't be able to secure takedowns

Aljamain Sterling is a terrific fighter with good wrestling and exceptional Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Once his foe is on the ground, Sterling always looks to attack his opponent's back. He intends to secure a back mount or a tight body triangle to control his foe's posture and positioning en route to fishing for a submission. Much of what Sterling threatens in a fight is his ability to finish opponents using his grappling.

Unfortunately, this requires that he be able to secure takedowns against his opponents. If Sterling cannot take his opponent to the ground, the fight becomes much harder for him. Sterling will most likely not be able to secure takedowns against Henry Cejudo, an Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling. This will prevent 'Funk Master' from imposing his primary game on the former bantamweight champion. While Dillashaw is a skilled wrestler, he is neither as experienced nor credentialed as Henry Cejudo.

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#4. Henry Cejudo's offensive wrestling

While Dillashaw is a great wrestler, his wrestling style is not as well-suited as Henry Cejudo's to prey on Sterling's preference for kicking at range. Sterling's kicking means he must always be on the front foot to push his opponents back to prevent them from taking away the time and space needed to throw kicks, or on the backfoot retreating to create space to throw kicks if his opponent is applying pressure.

Both options expose Sterling to takedowns. If he throws frequent kicks against Cejudo, he will likely be tripped to the ground once Cejudo times his kicks and catches one of them, tucking them under his armpit and pushing him back to upset his balance before tripping him. Similarly, being on the backfoot will also open him up to Cejudo's trips.

Henry Cejudo specializes in inside trips against opponents eager to separate themselves from him. Upon entering the clinch, Cejudo waits for his foe to retreat. When they do so, he often turns at an angle, hooking his leg on the inside of theirs before tripping them over it. If Sterling, in his desperation to back up and create space for his kicks, does so, he'll likely concede frequent takedowns against Henry Cejudo.

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#3. Cejudo's boxing matches up well with Sterling's kicking

While Cejudo's most recent outings in the octagon were defined by his karate stance, he can still implement his pressure boxing approach when needed. Against Marlon Moraes, a powerful kicker, Cejudo initially used his karate stance until his lead leg was repeatedly punished by low kicks. He then adjusted quickly, resorting to the pressure boxing that defined his early MMA striking.

In doing so, he forced Moraes onto the backfoot, taking away the time, space, and leverage the Brazilian needed to throw kicks. Henry Cejudo applied consistent pressure, causing Moraes to retreat from his punches in order to reset his preferred kicking range, which exhausted the Brazilian and disrupted his striking. Cejudo succeeded in doing so against a more powerful kicker with better boxing than Sterling, so his chances against 'Funk Master' might be even better.

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#2. Cejudo has better fight IQ than T.J. Dillashaw

T.J. Dillashaw is a highly skilled mixed martial artist whose layered striking is among the best the UFC has ever seen. However, his approach to fights does not vary as he seeks to implement his primary game regardless of the tools presented by his opponent. While Cejudo, and every other fighter, aims to do the same, Cejudo himself adjusts mid-fight to his foe's tendencies.

As mentioned earlier, Cejudo abandoned his wide karate stance against Marlon Moraes after being punished with low kicks and resorted to pressure boxing to force Moraes onto the backfoot. In another example of Cejudo's fight IQ, not only did Cejudo feint punches to draw Dominick Cruz's attention to his hands to land strong low kicks designed to slow Cruz's constant movement, but he also punished Cruz's tendency to exit out of exchanges by ducking at angles, timing him with a knee as Cruz ducked in.

Should Cejudo fight Sterling, he will likely use his experience and IQ to make reads and adjust accordingly in real-time during the course of the fight, eventually taking away Sterling's advantages.

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#1. Henry Cejudo's cardio

Henry Cejudo does not tire. His experience with Olympic training methods always ensures that he steps into the octagon with optimal conditioning. He went five rounds with former UFC flyweight champion and current ONE flyweight world grand prix champion Demetrious Johnson in a fast-paced bout.

While Aljamain Sterling has good cardio, he is prone to gassing out when trying to ward off an opponent's pressure.

If Cejudo implements his pressure boxing against him, forcing Sterling to throw a spree of kicks, it'll likely diminish the reigning champion's cardio and enable Cejudo to take over the fight.