Aljamain Sterling puts on suffocating performance to drown Youssef Zalal in UFC Vegas 116 main event

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 25: (R-L) Aljamain Sterling works for a submission against Youssef Zalal of Morocco in a featherweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Meta APEX on April 25, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Aljamain Sterling has gold on his mind after putting on a dominant performance taking out Youssef Zalal in the UFC Vegas 116 main event. It was a vintage performance from Sterling, who repeatedly put Zalal down on the ground and then just outgrappled him at every turn.

Whether he was blasting away with punches or looking for submissions, Sterling never gave Zalal much room to breathe and he maintained that control until the final second ticked away on the clock. In the end, the judges all gave the fight to Sterling with identical 49-45 scorecards as he moved to 3-1 since joining the featherweight division. “Youssef’s a tough dude,” Sterling said after the win.

“I had to take my time, use some of the stuff we’ve been game planning for … I want to compete more. I’m trying to make one more title run. I trained with him before, I knew he was hard to choke and finish.

I’m just happy to be back. “Movsar [Evloev], I’m coming for that ass next. [Alexander] Volkanovski, you know I’m coming for that ass.