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.
Aljamain Sterling has revealed he came within moments of losing consciousness during his recent bout against Youssef Zalal, disclosing that a guillotine choke from the featherweight contender nearly ended the fight before Sterling could escape.
Sterling, known as "Funk Master," carries a 26-5-0 professional record and currently sits ranked fourth in the featherweight division. The 36-year-old New Yorker, who trains out of Serra-Longo Fight Team, is a former bantamweight champion who moved up to 145 pounds to test himself at a new weight class. He averages 4.45 significant strikes landed per minute at a 52 percent accuracy rate, and attempts 2.45 takedowns per 15 minutes — numbers that reflect his well-rounded, grappling-heavy game.
Zalal, nicknamed "The Moroccan Devil," holds an 18-6-1 record and is ranked 12th in the featherweight division. The 29-year-old switch-stance fighter out of Factory X is no stranger to submission attempts, averaging 1.4 per 15 minutes — a stat that underscores just how real the danger was for Sterling in that moment.
Sterling said his mindset during the choke was unambiguous: he would sooner go unconscious than surrender a tap. He felt himself on the verge of passing out but held firm, ultimately escaping without conceding the submission.
Why it matters
- The revelation reframes the fight as far closer to a Zalal submission victory than the final result suggested
- Sterling's ranking position at fourth in featherweight means any near-loss carries significant divisional implications
- Zalal's submission threat rate of 1.4 attempts per 15 minutes makes him a legitimate finishing danger at 145 pounds
- The mindset Sterling described speaks to the high stakes of a ranked featherweight matchup with title-contention consequences on the line
