Youssef Zalal has set his sights on Charles Oliveira's featherweight division submission record of six. Zalal currently has four submissions in the division and aims to tie Oliveira with two more victories. Ahead of his UFC Vegas 116 main event against Aljamain Sterling this weekend, Zalal expressed particular pride in potentially becoming the first fighter to submit Sterling. Sterling has never been submitted in his career, having only been finished twice via TKO and knockout. Zalal sees breaking Sterling's submission defense as a major achievement and milestone in his pursuit of Oliveira's record.
Youssef Zalal has made no secret of his ambitions heading into his UFC Vegas 116 main event this weekend, publicly targeting Charles Oliveira's featherweight division submission record while eyeing a landmark finish against his opponent Aljamain Sterling.
Zalal, known as "The Moroccan Devil," holds an 18-6-1 record and is ranked 12th in the featherweight division. The 29-year-old out of Factory X trains as a switch-stance fighter and brings a well-rounded game to the cage, averaging 2.17 takedowns per 15 minutes and 1.4 submission attempts per 15 minutes. He currently sits four submissions deep in the featherweight division, meaning two more victories by tap-out would pull him level with Oliveira's divisional record of six.
Oliveira, now competing at lightweight and ranked third in that division, built his featherweight legacy largely on the ground. His 37-11 record and reputation as one of the sport's most dangerous submission artists make that six-submission benchmark a meaningful target for any grappler in the 145-pound weight class.
Zalal has spoken about the added significance of potentially becoming the first fighter to submit Sterling. The former bantamweight champion has been finished twice in his career, both by strikes — once by TKO and once by knockout — but has never been submitted.
Why it matters
- Zalal is two submissions away from tying Oliveira's featherweight division record
- A submission finish would mark the first time Sterling has been tapped out in his professional career
- The matchup pits Zalal's active ground attack against one of the sport's most durable submission defenses
- A main event win could push Zalal significantly up the featherweight rankings from his current position at number 12
