The official poster for UFC 288 was recently released as the promotion gears up to build interest and continue building anticipation for its upcoming pay-per-view. The event is scheduled for May 6 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
The event is headlined by the bantamweight title fight between reigning champion Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo, who will be making his long-awaited return to the Octagon after a three-year layoff. The event will also feature a highly anticipated lightweight clash between Beneil Dariush and former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira, with the winner likely receiving the next title shot against Islam Makhachev.
The promotion has three separate posters, including a vertical poster, a landscape, and an Instagram-sized poster. The vertical banner is divided into three grids, with Sterling on the top grid, the former UFC two-division champion pointing on the center grid, and Dariush and Oliveira going head-to-head on the bottom grid.
The horizontal poster features the main event bantamweight title fight on the top left, while the lightweight co-main event competitors square off on the bottom right. The Instagram poster is similar to the bantamweights in the top half, facing front and the lightweights are face to face in the bottom half.
Chael Sonnen claims that Khamzat Chimaev vs. Paulo Costa is in the works for UFC Abu Dhabi
Chael Sonnen has a knack for stirring up discussion in the MMA community and he did not disappoint during his most recent appearance at MMA time as he stated that a middleweight clash between Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa is in the works for the return of the UFC to Abu Dhabi.
While speaking with Ariel Helwani, Sonnen mentioned that he heard that there are plans for Chimaev vs. Costa at the event, as well as the location on the card, and said:
“So, I understand that Khamzat is going to fight Paulo Costa. They even have a date, they’re going out… Abu Dhabi. That’s a co-main event, very relevant, they’ll be there for three rounds instead of five.” [2:44:10 – 2:44:21]
Whether or not that fight is the plan or if the promotion has other ideas for both in the middleweight division remains to be seen.