Aljamain Sterling defeated Youssef Zalal via unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 49-45) in the main event of UFC Vegas 116. The card also saw victories by Jocelyne Edwards over Norma Dumont, Rafa Garcia over Alexander Hernandez, Davey Grant over Adrian Luna Martinetti, and Raoni Barcelos over Montel Jackson. Ryan Spann scored a knockout win over Marcus Buchecha in round two. Jackson McVeigh submitted Cedriques Dumas with a D'Arce choke in the first round. Additional results included wins by Michel Montagu, Cody Durden, Francis Marshall, Victor Valenzuela, and Talita Alencar.
Aljamain Sterling returned to the Octagon and picked up a commanding unanimous decision victory over Youssef Zalal in the main event of UFC Vegas 116 on April 26, with all three judges scoring the contest 49-45.
Sterling, a former UFC bantamweight champion, moved up to featherweight for the contest, taking on a ranked opponent in Zalal. The Moroccan Devil, ranked 12th in the featherweight division at 29 years old, came in with an 18-6-1 record and fights out of Factory X. The switch-stance striker carries solid output at 3.03 significant strikes landed per minute with a 50 percent striking accuracy, and he also brings a well-rounded grappling threat, averaging 2.17 takedowns and 1.4 submission attempts per 15 minutes.
Why it matters
- Sterling's performance in a featherweight main event signals his intentions in a new division following his bantamweight reign.
- Zalal's 49-45 loss on all three cards represents a setback for a fighter pushing toward the top ten at 145 pounds.
- The wide scorecards suggest Sterling controlled large portions of the fight across all five rounds.
Elsewhere on the card, Davey Grant continued his run at 40 years old, improving to 18-8-0 for Syndicate MMA. The orthodox fighter out of England lands at a high clip of 5.14 significant strikes per minute and showed once again he remains a live contender in the bantamweight division. Ryan Spann scored a second-round knockout over submission specialist Marcus Buchecha, while Jackson McVeigh finished Cedriques Dumas with a D'Arce choke in the first round. Rafa Garcia defeated Alexander Hernandez, Jocelyne Edwards beat Norma Dumont, and Raoni Barcelos got past Montel Jackson. Michel Montagu, Cody Durden, Francis Marshall, Victor Valenzuela, and Talita Alencar also picked up wins on the night.
