Aljamain Sterling isn’t exiting the title picture anytime soon.
The former bantamweight champion cemented his spot at the front of the featherweight contender line with a unanimous decision win over Youssef Zalal in the main event of UFC Vegas 116 on Saturday. Zalal put up a fight, but in the end Sterling’s overwhelming grappling game saw him control the fight on the mat and score plenty of ground-and-pound to break Zalal over the course of 25 minutes.
Sterling has now won three out of four fights since moving up to 145 pounds, with his lone loss coming at the hands of fellow top contender Movsar Evloev. Whether Sterling did enough to pass Evloev for a shot at Alexander Volkanovski is anyone’s guess, but he once again put on a performance that left his peers impressed.
Check out the pros reactions from social media below.
Great main event from both guys. Aljo just showing his championship caliber, beautiful adjustments and such elite grappling. #ufc
Aljo fight iq was incredible 👏👏👏 Zalal showed no quit tho
Makes u appreciate the grappling exchanges in the movsar vs aljo fight more
— Vinicius "LokDog" Oliveira (@LokdogVinicius) April 26, 2026
Mano Sterling voltou pro 4º round como se fosse o primeiro, que loucura3-1 Aljo
— Mairon "The Legend" Santos (@Maironsantoss) April 26, 2026