Sterling says he nearly lost consciousness rather than tap to Zalal

Aljamain Sterling revealed he came very close to being finished by a guillotine choke from Youssef Zalal in their recent fight. Sterling admitted he thought he was about to pass out from the submission attempt but refused to tap. He explained that he simply couldn't give Zalal the satisfaction of making him submit. Sterling stated, "I just thought: dude, I'm going to pass out now because I just won't give up." The former bantamweight champion's comments highlight his mentality of preferring unconsciousness over submission. Despite the dangerous position, Sterling ultimately survived the choke attempt and went on to win the fight.