It wasn't easy, but Aljamain Sterling closed out UFC 288 with a new career highlight in a split decision win over Henry Cejudo in the main event from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Sterling and Cejudo went toe-to-toe over the course of five rounds. Triple C was making his comeback after more than three years away from the Octagon. While the former champion looked good, it wasn't enough to get back the bantamweight belt.

Cejudo's takedown defense was mostly on point. The former Olympic gold medalist and two-weight champion showcased his athleticism and shut down a lot of Sterling's takedown attempts.

Unfortunately for him, Sterling won a lot of the striking exchanges and got the better of things in the clinch.

It was a strong effort from the 36-year-old, but it wasn't enough to derail Sterling's title run. He registered his third successful title defense.

Here's a look at the rest of the main card results from a great night of fights in Newark.

UFC 288 Results

Main Card

Aljamain Sterling def. Henry Cejudo via split decision (48-47 x2, 47-48)

Belal Muhammad def. Gilbert Burns via unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46 x2)

Yan Xiaonan def. Jessica Andrade via first-round TKO (punch, 2:20)

Movsar Evloev def. Diego Lopes via unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27)

Charles Jourdain def. Kron Gracie via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)

Prelims

Matt Frevola def. Drew Dober via first-round TKO (punch, 4:08)

Kennedy Nzechukwu def. Devin Clark via second-round submission (guillotine choke, 2:28)

Khaos Williams def. Rolando Bedoya via split decision (27-30, 29-28 x2)

Virna Jandiroba def. Marina Rodriguez via unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27)

Parker Porter def. Braxton Smith via first-round TKO (punches, 2:10)

Ikram Aliskerov def. Phil Hawes via first-round KO (punches, 2:10)

Claudio Ribeiro def. Joseph Holmes via second-round TKO (punches, 3:21)

Belal Muhammad def. Gilbert Burns

Belal Muhammad came into UFC 288 with a huge opportunity to put himself in the welterweight title picture. When the UFC needed a new co-main event 16 days before the pay-per-view, he and Gilbert Burns stepped in to make it happen.

Then Muhammad made things happen for himself in the Octagon.

Remember the Name utilized a high-volume attack to keep Burns on his heels. Durinho apparently suffered a shoulder injury during the fight.

Burns was tentative for much of the fight and didn't appear to be willing to throw many left hands. The Brazilian threw just 147 total strikes in the five-rounder compared to the 283 Muhammad attempted.

While Burns' injury may have played a role in the result, Muhammad has to be given credit for coming in on short notice and putting on a dominant performance. He likely earned himself a rematch against Leon Edwards with the title on the line.

He met Rocky in a 2021 fight which ended in a no-contest when an Edwards eye poke rendered Muhammad unable to continue.

Yan Xiaonan def. Jessica Andrade

Up to this point, Zhang Weili was unquestionably the best Chinese fighter in the UFC. After a first-round TKO win over Jessica Andrade, Yan Xiaonan might take umbrage with that claim.

Andrade is known for her aggression, and Yan played it against her to perfection. With the Brazilian trying to chase down her opponent, Yan planted her feet and launched a perfect counter punch to Andrade's forward movement.

As soon as it landed, the fight was over. Yan followed up with some ground strikes, but those were just the finishing touches on the biggest win of her career.

The victory could set up a potentially massive No. 1 contender fight in the strawweight division between Zhang and Yan. Her previous win was a majority decision over Mackenzie Dern, but this one offers her serious credibility.

For Andrade, it's a move in the wrong direction. After getting submitted by Erin Blanchfield in her last fight, she's lost back-to-back contests for the first time since losing to Zhang and Rose Namajunas in 2019 and 2020.

Movsar Evloev def. Diego Lopes

The featherweight matchup between Movsar Evloev and Diego Lopes wasn't supposed to be close. Evloev was originally slated to fight Bryce Mitchell in an intriguing prospect vs. prospect matchup. Lopes was just the last-minute replacement when Mitchell withdrew from the fight with an injury.

He certainly didn't fight like a punching bag, though. The promotional newcomer proved he belonged with a spirited effort that included multiple close submission attempts.

He nearly pulled off a stunning upset with a heel hook to end the third round before he ran out of time. Ultimately, Evloev's boxing and well-rounded approach helped him score the unanimous decision to get to 17-0 in his career, but there was no shortage of analysts who gave their respect to the underdog.

Evloev's hype train will keep chugging. He looked good, but he found himself in several traps set by his last-minute opponent.

This was a bout where both fighters probably improved their stock.

Charles Jourdain def. Kron Gracie

Kron Gracie made his first UFC appearance in nearly four years, but he did not receive a warm welcome from Charles Jourdain. Air earned a comprehensive unanimous decision victory, taking a clean sweep on all three judges' scorecards.

Gracie—the nephew of UFC legend Royce Gracie—didn't have any answers in the striking. Jourdain's boxing was superior, which was evident in the first round.

The jiu-jitsu practitioner tried to draw Jourdain into a grappling match, but he wasn't having it:

The fight hit the mat in the second round, but Jourdain maintained top control, with Gracie all too happy to just look for submissions off of his back.

Ultimately, it didn't look like Gracie worked on any other parts of his game during his hiatus.