UFC Vegas 116 results: Aljamain Sterling dominates Youssef Zalal

TL;DR

Aljamain Sterling dominated Youssef Zalal at UFC Fight Night 274, winning by unanimous decision with scores of 49-45. Sterling showcased his grappling skills, moving closer to a title shot in the featherweight division.

Key points

Aljamain Sterling won by unanimous decision
Judges scored the fight 49-45
Sterling showcased strong grappling skills
Fight took place at UFC Fight Night 274
Sterling is moving closer to a title shot in featherweight

Meta APEXAljamain SterlingYoussef ZalalUFC Fight Night 274

Aljamain Sterling is coming for Alexander Volkanovski's ass – "no pause," or so he says.

At UFC Fight Night 274 on Saturday, Sterling (26-5 MMA, 18-5 UFC) dominated Youssef Zalal (18-6-1 MMA, 8-4-1 UFC) en route to a unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 49-45). The featherweight bout headlined the event at Meta APEX in Las Vegas.

Sterling opened up on the feet from the opening bell, looking loose and flowy. But it'd ultimately be his grappling that would prove to be a big difference maker.

Outside of some Round 3 success from Zalal, Sterling proved to be the much stronger grappler. He found himself at home on Zalal's back, utilizing his signature body triangle and working for a rear-naked choke. In Round 4 in particular, Zalal looked widely uncomfortable as Sterling worked to end the fight.

With the win, Sterling moves a step closer to challenging for gold in a second UFC division. Regarded as one of the best bantamweight fighters ever, Sterling defended the UFC bantamweight championship three times. After a loss to Sean O'Malley, he moved to featherweight where he has gone 3-1.

Having won back-to-back fights, Sterling has positioned himself for something even bigger next time out. After the fight, he said in-cage that he's coming for both Movsar Evloev (who his lone featherweight loss came against) and champion Alexander Volkanovski.

Zalal comes up short in his first UFC main event and has a eight-fight winning streak snapped. Five of those fights came in the UFC. Regardless of Saturday's outcome, Zalal has written quite the comeback story. The UFC elected to re-sign Zalal in 2022 after a four-fight stint. But he worked his way back through the regional ranks straight to a UFC main event.