UFC Vegas 116 features a strong card, highlighted by the main event between Aljamain Sterling and Youssef Zalal. This fight could lead to title shots for the winners.
Key points
UFC Vegas 116 features a strong fight card
Main event is Aljamain Sterling vs. Youssef Zalal
Potential title shots for winners of main and co-main events
Scheduled between UFC's trips to Canada and Australia
Main card includes six fights
Aljamain SterlingYoussef ZalalUFC Vegas 116
The latest weekly offering from the Ultimate Fighting Championship may be little more than a palate cleanser between main courses, but itās a surprisingly strong cardāat the top, at least.
Scheduled right between the UFCās first trips to Canada and Australia this yearāand a run of 13 straight weekly events, for those countingāthereās no question that UFC Vegas 116 suffers from its proximity to so many higher-profile show. Still, the best-case scenario for an Apex fight night in the 2020s is enough divisional relevance to make the blood, sweat and tears count for something, and this one checks that box emphatically, as itās well within the realm of possibility that the main and co-main events both result in title shots for the winners.
Let us get on to the preview for the six-fight main card of UFC Fight Night 274 āSterling vs. Zalal,ā also known as UFC Vegas 116:
In the main event, former bantamweight champ Sterling (25-5; 17-5 UFC) seeks to reaffirm his presence in the title picture of his new division, while halting the rise of the resurgent Zalal. Sterling is 2-1 since moving up to 145 pounds, with the lone loss coming in a competitive scrap against undefeated Movsar Evloev, so it isnāt as if heās fallen off the face of the planet. However, considering his weirdly edgy relationship with the promotion, not to mention his 37th birthday looming this summer, thereās a sense that this is a must-win fight, that a loss here would send him too far back in line.
āThe Funk Masterā delivers a unique and underappreciated mix of physical gifts and elite skills. While he is a good athlete, his physicality manifests itself in balance, flexibiility and fluidity rather than explosive movementāthink or , not or . He has become a very competent striker; his kicks have always been excellent, but his boxing has come a long way since his early days in the UFC. His forte, of course, is his wrestling and grappling, and again the Davis comparison is apt, as Sterling uses his long limbs, great core strength and smooth technique to secure takedowns and advance position. Sterling is one of the best overall ground fighters in the sport, capable of grinding out rounds with suffocating top control or putting foes away with exotic techniques and lightning-quick execution, as the situation requires.
Q&A
What is the main event for UFC Vegas 116?
The main event for UFC Vegas 116 is a featherweight bout between Aljamain Sterling and Youssef Zalal.
When is UFC Vegas 116 scheduled to take place?
UFC Vegas 116 is scheduled to take place between the UFC's first trips to Canada and Australia this year.
What are the stakes for the winners of UFC Vegas 116?
The winners of the main and co-main events at UFC Vegas 116 could potentially earn title shots.
How many fights are on the main card of UFC Vegas 116?
The main card of UFC Vegas 116 consists of six fights.
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Sterlingās difficulties have come against fighters who were able to stop or at least slow his takedown assault and take advantage of his sometimes porous defense on the feet. It isnāt that heās necessarily chinnyāsome of the best hitters in the UFC had to tag him repeatedly to really put him in troubleābut that might change as he ages, and he gets hit enough that the damage can start to pile up.
Zalal (18-5-1) has been an absolute revelation since rejoining the UFC two years ago. āThe Moroccan Devilā is 8-3-1 overall in the Octagon but a perfect 5-0 this time around, and a win in his first UFC headliner might complete a shocking speed run in one of the toughest divisions in which to earn a title shot. A bit like Sterling, Zalalās game is a bit deceptive based on the optics. Everything about him, from his lanky build to his nationality, his cheerfully cocky demeanor and even his team affiliation, screams āEuropean-style kickboxer,ā but while he is a very solid striker, his wrestling and grappling have always been his best weapons as well. On the feet, Zalal uses his reach, speed and good footwork in the service of a striking attack that sacrifices power for movement and defense.
Even as a relatively low-powered striker, Zalal is capable of winning rounds on the feet with volume, but he tends to use his movement to set his opponents up for takedowns. Zalal has an impressively diverse wrestling game, with smooth shots from outside that he can chain into slide-bys or standing back takes, rather than trying to finish with big slams or brute force. Once on the ground, he is a venomous grappler, peppering his foe with pinpoint punches as he works to secure back control. Above all, he is bent on the finish; his takedown stats since returning to the UFC look unimpressive, because he has submitted almost everyone without having to take them down more than once or twice.
This is a fantastic matchup with serious title implications for both fighters, and the similarities in their approach make them unique tests for one another. As red-hot as Zalal has been, Sterling is battle-tested against an even higher level of opposition, and for far longer; three years ago, while Zalal was regrouping in local Colorado shows, Sterling was racking up five straight title fights against pound-for-pound level opponents. The betting line in Zalalās favor seems to be a nod to his momentum, his youth and his size advantage, and I think itās appropriate. This should be a very competitive fight, but Zalal should have the wrestling chops to at least keep up with Sterling, and if the former champ is slipping at all, perhaps outduel him. The pick is Zalal by competitive decision.
The co-main event of UFC Vegas 116 is a special kind of success story, a meeting between two women who entered the UFC to little fanfare, looked out of their depth early on, and have both rallied to find themselves on long winning streaks, on the cusp of a title shot. āThe Immortalā (13-2; 8-2 UFC) joined the UFC six years ago and appeared to be little more than padding for the desperately thin womenās featherweight roster. When she was promptly blown out by Megan Anderson in her debut, it looked as though she might not even serve that purpose. However, Dumont quickly embraced her strengths as a fighter, started winning a whole lot of fights and truly turned a corner once she got the cut to 135 pounds mastered; her 8-2 UFC mark includes a perfect 5-0 at bantamweight.
Dumont has for several years been one of my go-to examples of the difference between what a fighter is trained to do, knows how to do, and actually does in a live combat situation. She is a multiple-time Brazilian national sanda champion, she has herself announced as a wushu sanda fighter, she comes out of her corner like a sanda practitionerā¦and then once the punches actually start flying, she usually turns into a takedown artist and close-quarters mauler. This is not a criticism. Dumont is still capable of holding her own in an outside striking battle with most fighters in the division, with nice kicks from both sides and good lateral movement. However, incorporating the bully routine makes good use of her size, strength and low center of gravity, and makes her far more effective than she would be without it.
Edwards (17-6; 8-4 UFC), like Dumont, initially presented as a kickboxing specialist before diversifying, but she is not nearly as far along. āLa Panteraā is also good-sized for the division if not quite as burly as Dumont, and she uses her long limbs well, lighting foes up at range with straight punches and a nice array of kicks to the legs and body. She has underrated power; everything stings, thanks to solid technique and natural athleticism rather than loading up and overswinging. Edwards has begun incorporating some sneaky takedowns into her offense, and on top she is a problem, with heavy ground strikes and a newfound knack for taking an opponentās back in a flash.
Edwardsā most obvious shortcoming has always been her own takedown defense, and while she has made some strides in that regard, she still has some of the poorest defensive wrestling of any Top 10 fighter in the UFC. Once taken down, she does well when she shows urgency to get back up, but she can sometimes spend too much time playing jiu-jitsu off her back, as she did against Ailin Perez a couple of years ago.
The line here feels a bit rich; despite appearances, Edwards is probably the harder hitter of the two and should be the faster woman on the feet as well, so she presents some legitimate threats to Dumont. However, the most obvious dynamic of this matchup is Edwardsā still-iffy takedown defense against Dumontās strength, clinch work and wrestling. Dumont is in some ways a very deluxe version of Perez, the last woman to defeat Edwards, and should be able to bull her way to a decision win here in similar fashion.
The feature fight of UFC Vegas 115 sees Garcia (18-4; 6-4 UFC) and Hernandez (18-8; 10-7 UFC) in a meeting of two lightweights who have quietly, but significantly, improved over the last couple of years. Garcia was an intriguing signing when he joined the UFC out of Combate Global five years ago, but lost his first two bouts and appeared to be a marginal UFC talent at best. He has turned a corner, however, and comes into this bout having won three of his last four, losing only to Top 10 contender Grant Dawson over the last two years.
Garcia is well-rounded, well-conditioned, and intelligent, with a high motor and underrated wrestling. He is also slightly undersized for the division and while he is a decent athlete, he is not the kind of fast-twitch phenom that can render a size and reach disadvantage irrelevant. His wins require him to thread the needle just a bit, figuring out on the fly where he matches up well with his opponent, then working to bring the fight there. (For that reason, Dawsonās massive advantages in size, strength and wrestling made him a nightmare matchup for Garcia.)
Hernandezās early hype was far greater than Garciaās, and for that reason, his early frustrations and struggles were far more disappointing. Blessed with a comic-book physique and functional athleticism, he set unrealistic expectations for himself by lamping Top 10 contender Beneil Dariush in his UFC debut eight years ago. That guaranteed that the Texan would be matched tough from there on out, and that, combined with his maddening inconsistency, meant that after winning his first two UFC bouts, āThe Great Apeā would not pick up another win streak in the Octagon until last March.
Hernandez has always had the raw physical tools and offensive weapons of a Top 10 lightweight. He does his best work as a dynamic, front-foot striker who blends in fast, powerful takedowns and crushing ground-and-pound. However, he has often struggled with defensive awareness, on the ground as well as on the feet. And while he is actually quite durable physically, Hernandez doesnāt always rally well when things go wrong, so several of his opponents have started rolling downhill on him and ended up getting the finish. Over his current four-fight win streak, Hernandez has made some strides towards tightening up those flaws, and the results have been impressive.
There was a time not too long ago when this fight would have had āupsetā written all over it, as Garcia was exactly the kind of physically outgunned, but mentally sharper fighter who could wrest control of the fight away from Hernandez, start beating him up and wait for the wheels to fall off. Thatās still possible, and my podcast co-host Keith picked Garcia, but Hernandez has been turning into the kind of fighter that doesnāt give fights away, and beats the opponents he should beatāsometimes really badly. The pick here is that Hernandez stretches his career-best streak to five with a solid, entertaining but blessedly drama-free decision victory.
Luna Martinetti (17-1) makes his UFC debut here against Grant (17-8; 9-7 UFC) who feels a full generation removed from him in terms of age as well as Octagon tenure. Luna, an Ecuadoran by way of Mexico, was the other half of the instant classic Dana White's Contender Series barnburner last October that brought Mark Vologdin to the UFC. Notably, Luna was the one who actually won that wild scrap, and in any case would have had the higher apparent upside at the UFC level. (For one, heās appropriately sized for the division.)
Luna is capable of a much more technical, disciplined striking battle than he showed on the Contender Series, but even at the regional level in Mexico, he had a tendency to get drawn into brawls. In the Vologdin fight, it effectively negated Lunaās height and reach advantages and gave the much smaller man the exact kinds of exchanges he needed. On the other hand, Lunaās wrestling was on full display against Vologdin, and in fact was largely responsible for winning him the fight. His ground game, as he showed in outwrestling the wrestler, is easy to underestimate, and he has a good understanding of when to switch gears.
If certain parts of Lunaās skill set are overlooked or underrated, virtually all of Grantās game seems to be. The now 40-year-old Brit joined the UFC out of Season 18 of āThe Ultimate Fighter,ā and frankly, would not have been most peopleās pick for the last alumnus of that season to still be on roster nearly 13 years later. More than just eating up roster space, āDangerous Daveyā is still a relevant bantamweight, fighting nearly as well as he ever has. He has won two of his last three fights, four of his last six, with the only losses to then-undefeated prospect Daniel Marcos and current Top 10 contender Charles Jourdain.
Grant is average-sized for the division and, even in his prime, was never a plus athlete. Nonetheless, he remains a very effective striker, routinely keeping younger, quicker foes reeling with clean boxing combinations, good volume and underrated power. Grantās wrestling has always been criminally underrated, probably due to his nationality and unimposing build, but he is a very good takedown artist, and not just with little trips and throws from the clinch; even at 40, he is capable of a quick level change from middle distance. Once on the ground, Grantās grappling, of course, is also underrated, despite putting decorated BJJ black belt Raphael Assuncao all the way to sleep a couple of years ago.
Luna is an interesting addition to the bantamweight division, but he is just that: a 30-year-old debutant with some solid skills and inconsistent fight IQ. This will be a massive step up for the newcomer; Grant will be by far the best fighter Luna has ever faced, while Luna might not crack Grantās Top 15. The near pick-āem line makes sense only if you believe that Grant is about to start looking every bit his age on Saturday. Otherwise, Grant has been feasting on younger, faster, but less disciplined and fundamentally sound opponents for a decade now, including several who were far more heralded than Luna. The pick here is that the old man sends one more (relative) youngster packing: Grant by decision.
Jackson (15-3; 9-3 UFC) and Barcelos (21-5; 10-4 UFC) meet in a very intriguing bantamweight contendersā matchup. Jacksonās āQuikā nickname is fitting, as he is blisteringly fast on the feet. He is also absolutely enormous for the division and arguably its hardest hitter, at least in terms of one-shot power. Jackson does his best work on the feet, where he can operate from outside, springing into rangeāhis range, at leastāwith bursts of punches, sometimes punctuated by vicious kicks to the head and body. He doesnāt always throw in combination as well as he could, and employs a lot of low-percentage spinning or flying attacks, but thus far those things have yet to cost him very often.
Jackson is a more adept and effective grappler than his stat line implies, especially offensively. From top position, he throws ground punches that are every bit as brutal as his standup, and he uses his long arms to set up chokes from many angles. However, he can be taken down and when he is, his ground game is not nearly as effective.
Barcelos, who turns 39 next month, has been in the UFC for eight years now, but it sometimes feels like heās had three or four separate runs in the promotion. He seemed like a promising late bloomer as he strung together wins five or six years ago, a possible future title contender. Then he suddenly looked old and shopworn as he lost four of five fights heading into 2024. Now heās won four straight, including impressively one-sided handlings of two much younger, much-hyped prospects, and seems like a man renewed.
Barcelos has always been, and still is, a very good athlete: nimble, powerful and explosive. While he came to MMA through Brazilian jiu-jitsu, as the son of 7th degree coral belt Laerte Barcelosāhe is much, much more of a complete fighter than that lineage might imply. For one, he is one of the better offensive wrestlers in the division, let alone for a āBJJ guy.ā Barcelos has a good double-leg from outside, which he can chain to a single or a variety of other options. Once on the ground, his top game is suffocating, and taking back control has typically meant the fight was over.
He is also a solid kickboxer with fast hands, even at his age, and good power. When Barcelos struggled across 2021-2023, it seemed to be due to a slight decline in speed, but more so to a drop-off in durability, in terms of cardio as well as ability to recover from damage. Those issues have not been the same kind of problem over the last four fights for Barcelos, whether due to adjustments in his strategy or because of the level of opposition, but we are probably about to find out. If Barcelosā reflexes and chin are not on point, Jackson is the perfect fighter to expose them.
The line understandably favors Jackson, as the younger, bigger, faster and harder-hitting fighter. However, if Barcelos is still in excellent competitive shape, he embodies just about all of the qualities that have given Jackson fits: disciplined boxing defense, forward movement, takedowns and a heavy top game. The game plan that Deiveson Figueiredo used to defeat Jackson seven months ago, snapping his huge winning streak, is one that Barcelos could certainly follow. Understanding full well that if this pick is wrong, weāll probably know within about 40 seconds and it wonāt be pretty, give me Barcelos to win by decision.
The UFC Vegas 116 main card opens with a disappointment derby, as both of these heavyweights boast enormous upside, but have had mixed-to-poor results in the Octagon. āBuchechaā Almeida (5-2-1; 0-1-1 UFC) joined the UFC last year as one of the most anticipated free-agent signings of the last few years, and thus far itās been a rough run. The former One Championship star is, of course, one of the greatest heavyweight grapplers of all time, but what made him exciting as an MMA prospect was his size, incredible athleticism and relative youth. In two UFC bouts, however, he has seemed physically underwhelming: smaller, much slower and less robust in terms of cardio. That diminishment of Almeidaās athletic gifts has exposed the technical flaws in his MMA game, namely ugly striking based on slow single shots, and a lack of reliable takedown technique.
Spann (23-11; 8-6 UFC) is much more of a known MMA quantity, but he is relatively new to heavyweight, having gone 1-1 since moving up from 205 pounds last year. On one hand, the move made sense, as Spann was always one of the biggest light heavyweights in the sport and continues to enjoy height and reach advantages over just about everyone in his new division. On the other hand, none of the flaws that kept Spann around .500 in the UFC and made him such a frustrating prospect were really helped by the change. Same as at light heavyweight, Spann is a dangerous offensive fighter with several elite weapons including a crushing jab, some very heavy kicks and maybe the best guillotine in the division. Same as at light heavyweight, Spann commits a lot of defensive errors, does not always have the durability to survive them, and struggles with tactical acumen; most of Spannās losses feature him running headlong into his opponentsā best weapons, whatever those happen to be.
This is a tough fight to predict, and the line is appropriately close. Both fighters have some elite weapons and poor defense and fight IQ, so thereās a good chance someone gets finished really badly. Thereās a decent chance that Almeida finds some way to haul Spann to the canvas and this thing is over early, but Iām leaning towards the upset here. āBuchechaā has struggled to bring any of his best weapons to bear against his first two opponents, and has gotten tired to boot. The pick is that Spann sticks, moves, avoids any serious blunders early, then starts piling up punches on a fatigued, frustrated Almeida for a Round 2 TKO.
