Aljamain Sterling delivered a dominant performance in the UFC Vegas 116 main event, earning a unanimous decision win over Youssef Zalal at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sat., April 25, 2026.
The former bantamweight champion used his grappling and fight IQ to control Zalal across five rounds, improving his featherweight record to 3-1 and immediately turning his attention to champion Alexander Volkanovski.
After the fight, Sterling revealed the stakes he had placed on his own performance. “I’m not going to lie, thoughts of retirement crossed my mind,” he said. “Depending on how I lost, if I were to lose, and just being realistic — it’s like if I can’t compete, then I don’t want to do this anymore. It’s not like I don’t want to do it because there is no future for it but if I can’t compete with these young guys, why am I sticking around and taking an ass-whooping for no reason?”
Reflecting on whether this could have been a “passing of the torch type of fight?”, Sterling added, “I’m just happy I passed the test with flying colors. I’ve got enough money, but you can also use some more. This sport hurts, man and no is trying to stick around and let these young bucks beat you up.”
Sterling, a former UFC bantamweight titleholder now campaigning at featherweight, has positioned himself in a division where unbeaten contender Movsar Evloev is described as likely next in line for a title shot, while a potential title eliminator against rising contender Jean Silva is suggested for him.
