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UFC Record Breakdown
Aljamain Sterling versus Youssef Zalal is the kind of fight that gets people arguing at the gym. You've got the former bantamweight champ moving up and trying to prove he belongs at 145, going against one of the hottest finishers in the division. Zalal just armbarred Josh Emmett in under two minutes back in October, then beat Calvin Kattar on the scorecards in February. That's back to back wins over legit featherweights, and he's riding serious momentum. Sterling's path at featherweight has been interesting. He beat Kattar at UFC 300, showing he could hang with the bigger guys.
If Zalal finds an opening for that armbar or choke, it could end fast, but if Sterling controls position early, we might see him grind this out over three rounds.
Then he lost a decision to Movsar Evloev at UFC 310, which slowed things down a bit. But here's the thing, he just went five rounds with Brian Ortega in Shanghai and won a decision. That's a hell of a bounce back fight against a former title challenger. The grappling battle is what everyone's watching. Sterling's got that slick wrestling and control game that made him champ at 135. Zalal?
Dude's finished four straight fights by submission. He's got that rear naked choke and armbar ready to go, and he's not afraid to hunt for it early. Sterling landed six takedowns against Evloev with 75% accuracy, so he can definitely get this to the mat. Question is whether Zalal's dangerous enough off his back to make Sterling think twice.
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Youssef Zalal finish map
Youssef Zalal breakdown
Youssef Zalal's recent form
Aljamain Sterling versus Youssef Zalal is the kind of fight that gets people arguing at the gym. You've got the former bantamweight champ moving up and trying to prove he belongs at 145, going against one of the hottest finishers in the division. Zalal just armbarred Josh Emmett in under two minutes back in October, then beat Calvin Kattar on the scorecards in February. That's back to back wins over legit featherweights, and he's riding serious momentum. Sterling's path at featherweight has been interesting. He beat Kattar at UFC 300, showing he could hang with the bigger guys.
If Zalal finds an opening for that armbar or choke, it could end fast, but if Sterling controls position early, we might see him grind this out over three rounds.
Then he lost a decision to Movsar Evloev at UFC 310, which slowed things down a bit. But here's the thing, he just went five rounds with Brian Ortega in Shanghai and won a decision. That's a hell of a bounce back fight against a former title challenger. The grappling battle is what everyone's watching. Sterling's got that slick wrestling and control game that made him champ at 135. Zalal?
Dude's finished four straight fights by submission. He's got that rear naked choke and armbar ready to go, and he's not afraid to hunt for it early. Sterling landed six takedowns against Evloev with 75% accuracy, so he can definitely get this to the mat. Question is whether Zalal's dangerous enough off his back to make Sterling think twice.
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Aljamain Sterling finish map
Aljamain Sterling breakdown
Aljamain Sterling's recent form
Pace delta
+1.4 significant strikes/min
Aljamain Sterling averages 4.5 significant strikes per minute while Youssef Zalal sits at 3.0.
AI confidence
78%
Probability weighting from the AgentMMA simulator.
Finish radar
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Youssef Zalal vs Aljamain Sterling odds: this page includes live Polymarket odds for this matchup.
