Aljamain Sterling reveals he nearly lost consciousness to Youssef Zalal guillotine

Aljamain Sterling admitted he came dangerously close to being submitted by a guillotine choke from Youssef Zalal. The former bantamweight champion said he felt himself on the verge of passing out but refused to tap. Sterling explained his mindset was that he would rather lose consciousness than give Zalal the satisfaction of a submission victory. Despite the perilous position, Sterling avoided tapping and presumably escaped the hold. The revelation highlights how close the bout came to ending via submission.