Youssef Zalal is in good spirits following his loss to Aljamain Sterling in the UFC Vegas 116 main event. Zalal dropped a unanimous decision to the former bantamweight champ on Saturday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Sterling controlled the majority of the action with a blend of aggressive striking and dominant grappling, bringing an end to Zalal’s eight-fight professional winning streak. Zalal reacted to the loss on social media, posting a photo of himself surrounded by loved ones on his Instagram account. “Alhamdulillah!! Thank you guys for all the support,” Zalal wrote. “I’ll be back. Keep smiling.” Sterling then replied with a message of his own in the comments. "Always love my brotha! You pushed me to new limits and I hope I pushed you too! Wallahi you will be champion one day!” Sterling wrote. After seeing mixed results during a 3-3-1 stint in his first go-round in the UFC, Zalal emerged as a featherweight contender with five straight triumphs within the Las Vegas-based promotion — a run that included victories over veterans Calvin Kattar and Josh Emmett. A victory over Sterling would have likely propelled Zalal into the next level of the featherweight division.