Aljamain Sterling may now find himself in contention for a potential bantamweight title shot after a one-sided, mostly master-class performance against Youssef Zalal in the main event of UFC Vegas 116.
A competitive first round saw plenty of striking exchanges, with Sterling seeming to land the more effective strikes. Sterling also scored a takedown during the round, taking over two minutes of top control time.
The two continued to have their exchanges on the feet in round two; however, Sterling again was able to take the fight to the ground and control from there. He emphasized this control with some solid ground-and-pound before the round’s end.
Zalal stole the momentum in the third round, threatening a tight guillotine choke early before Sterling worked his way out. It was Zalal’s best round, landing sharp strikes and gaining back control.
Sterling, however, took everything right back with a dominant, 10-8-worthy fourth round. Sterling put on a dominant display, controlling Zalal and landing more ground-and-pound while threatening submissions.
Sterling added one more takedown and strong ground session to end the fight, with all three judges scoring the fight 49-45 in his favor.
Aljamain Sterling Puts On Master Class Ground Performance On Youssef Zalal At UFC Vegas 116
Sterling is now 3-1 since moving up to featherweight. The former bantamweight champion entered this fight off a win over Brian Ortega last August. His only loss in the division came against Movsar Evloev.
This is Zalal’s first UFC loss since his return to the promotion in 2024. He entered this fight 5-0 in his second Octagon stint, coming in off a submission of Josh Emmett at UFC 320.