All fighters successfully made weight for UFC Vegas 116. The main event features Aljamain Sterling at 66.22 kg facing Youssef Zalal at 65.99 kg in the featherweight division. The main card also includes Norma Dumont vs Joselyn Edwards in women's bantamweight, Rafa Garcia vs Alexander Hernandez at lightweight, and Marcus Buchecha vs Ryan Spann at heavyweight. The preliminary card features multiple bantamweight and middleweight matchups across twelve total bouts scheduled for the event.
All fighters came in on weight Thursday for UFC Vegas 116, clearing the path for a twelve-bout card headlined by a featherweight clash between Aljamain Sterling and Youssef Zalal. Sterling tipped the scales at 66.22 kg while Zalal checked in at 65.99 kg, both within the division limit.
Sterling needs no introduction in the UFC's lighter weight classes. The former undisputed bantamweight champion has since moved up to featherweight, bringing elite grappling credentials and championship pedigree into the 145-pound division.
Zalal, his opponent, has built his featherweight reputation steadily and enters the main event looking to make a definitive statement against one of the most decorated fighters on the roster.
The main card also features a women's bantamweight contest between Norma Dumont and Joselyn Edwards, a lightweight bout pitting Rafa Garcia against Alexander Hernandez, and a heavyweight matchup between Marcus Buchecha and Ryan Spann.
Hernandez, the 33-year-old American known as "The Great Ape," carries an 18-9 record into his lightweight fight with Garcia. Fighting out of Factory X, Hernandez lands 4.31 significant strikes per minute and averages 1.14 takedowns per 15 minutes, making him a versatile threat on both feet and on the mat.
The preliminary card rounds out the event with multiple bantamweight and middleweight bouts, among them a middleweight contest involving Rodolfo Vieira, the 36-year-old Brazilian out of Fusion X-Cel Performance. Vieira holds an 11-5 record and brings genuine grappling danger, averaging 2.7 takedowns per 15 minutes alongside 0.9 submission attempts in the same span. Also appearing on the prelims is Davey Grant, the 40-year-old Englishman nicknamed "Dangerous," who carries an 18-8 record and a striking output of 5.14 significant strikes per minute for Syndicate MMA.
Why it matters
- Sterling's featherweight development is under scrutiny after his bantamweight title run, making this a significant measuring-stick fight
- A Hernandez win in a competitive lightweight division could push him back toward ranked territory
- Vieira's submission threat keeps every grappling exchange on the prelims high stakes
