Aljamain Sterling was captured in training footage showing powerful conditioning ahead of his upcoming bout. The former UFC bantamweight champion faces Youssef Zalal this weekend. Sterling appears to be in excellent physical shape with one week remaining before the matchup. The post emphasizes his strong preparation for the fight. No further details about the specific event or weight class were provided in the brief update.
Training footage of Aljamain Sterling circulating online this week shows the former UFC bantamweight champion in sharp physical condition with one week to go before he meets Youssef Zalal in a featherweight contest this weekend.
Sterling, known as "Funk Master," has reinvented himself at featherweight following his bantamweight title run. Now 36 years old, the Serra-Longo Fight Team product carries a 26-5-0 record into the bout and currently sits fourth in the featherweight divisional rankings. Standing five-foot-seven with a 71-inch reach, Sterling has developed into a well-rounded offensive threat, landing 4.45 significant strikes per minute at a 52 percent accuracy rate while adding 2.45 takedowns per 15 minutes to his arsenal.
Zalal, nicknamed "The Moroccan Devil," enters the matchup ranked 12th at featherweight with an 18-6-1 record. The 29-year-old, who trains out of Factory X, stands five-foot-ten with a 72-inch reach and fights out of a switch stance. He lands 3.03 significant strikes per minute at 50 percent accuracy and is a consistent takedown threat, averaging 2.17 per 15 minutes alongside 1.4 submission attempts in the same span.
Why it matters
- Sterling's number-four ranking means a strong performance could push him into title contention at featherweight
- Zalal's switch stance and takedown volume present a genuine stylistic puzzle for any opponent
- The size difference is notable — Zalal holds a three-inch height advantage and a one-inch reach edge over Sterling
- A win for either fighter carries meaningful divisional implications in a featherweight top-15 that remains unsettled
